John M. Steane (born May 1931) is a British former headmaster and archaeologist.^[1]

John Steane was educated at Dulwich College and then Magdalen College, Oxford, where he studied for a degree in Modern History.^[2]

During 1964–1976, he was Headmaster of Kettering Grammar School. He then became County Archaeologist for Oxfordshire during 1976–1990). He was also a consultant archaeologist and part-time tutor at Kellogg College, Oxford, within the Oxford University Department for Continuing Education.

Steane has undertaken research into various aspects of the historic landscape, such as fishponds, palaces, and parks. He is the author of the following books:^[2][3][4][5]

• The Northamptonshire Landscape (1974)
• Peopling Past Landscapes (with B.F. Dix, 1978)
• The Archaeology of Medieval England and Wales (1984)
• The Archaeology of the Medieval English Monarchy (1993)
• Oxfordshire (1996)
• The Archaeology of Power (2001)
• Traditional Buildings in the Oxford Region c.1300–1840 (2013)

Steane has also exhibited watercolours and drawings.^[6] Steane is a Fellow of the Society of Antiquaries and a member of the Institute of Field Archaeologists.^[2]

Personal life

Steane was married to the painter Nina Carroll (1932–1990) and they had three children together.^[7]