Background
Thomas was born in Cork, the eldest son of Alexander Deane, a builder, and Elizabeth Sharpe. His father died in 1806, leaving his mother with seven children to bring up.
Thomas was born in Cork, the eldest son of Alexander Deane, a builder, and Elizabeth Sharpe. His father died in 1806, leaving his mother with seven children to bring up.
There was a flaw in his will, which prevented Mistress Deane from acquiring the properties that he owned in Cork city, and a private act of parliament was required to enable her to gain the leases of the properties. Mistress Deane continued the family business, and Thomas started work there at fourteen years of age.
Deane was to the forefront of the development of the arts and sciences in his native city.
He served on Cork Corporation for many years. He was Mayor of Cork in 1815, 1830 and 1851, and was knighted in 1830.
He was a staunch Tory, but ended up supporting a Catholic, Daniel Callaghan, in 1830. Later in life he grew tired of the political in-fighting.
In 1820 he bought the Ummera Estate in County Cork, and later bought and renovated a Georgian house at Dundanion close to Blackrock.
He designed a number of buildings in the city of Cork, including parts of the University College campus, and Street Mary"s Cathedral, Tuam (completed after his death, in 1878). In 1860 he moved to Dublin, buying a house in Longford Terrace in Monkstown. He was elected President of the Royal Hibernian Academy in 1866.
Julia died in 1863.
John was educated at Midleton College, Cork and matriculated in 1831 at Trinity College, Dublin at the age of sixteen. He had to be rescued from debt a number of occasions during his youth. He trained for the bar at the King"s Inn in Dublin and Gray"s Inn in London.
During the Famine he was a Poor Law inspector in Donegal and Galway.
He came up with the idea of the Art Treasures Exhibition in Manchester in 1857. He died at Posillipo, Naples on 24 February 1887 and was buried in the English Cemetery, Naples.
