Social Victorians/People/Magniac

Also Known As

• Family name: Magniac, Webber
• The Dawson sons are treated on their own page

Timeline

1851 January 30, Augusta Frederica Anne Fitzpatrick and Thomas Vesey Dawson married.

1856 October 9, Augusta Fitzpatrick Dawson and Charles Magniac married.

1897 July 2, Friday, Miss Magniac (#640 on the list of people who were present) attended the Duchess of Devonshire's fancy-dress ball at Devonshire House.

1903 October, Geraldine Magniac and Major Raymond Sudeley Webber married.

Miss Geraldine Magniac as Dawn. ©National Portrait Gallery, London.

Costume at the Duchess of Devonshire's 2 July 1897 Fancy-dress Ball

At the Duchess of Devonshire's fancy-dress ball, Geraldine Magniac was dressed as Dawn.

Lafayette's portrait (right) of "Probably (Sybil Aimée) Geraldine Webber (née Magniac) as Dawn" in costume is photogravure #56 in the album presented to the Duchess of Devonshire and now in the National Portrait Gallery. The printing on the portrait says, "Miss G. Magnac [sic] as Dawn," with a Long S in Miss.

The newspaper accounts of her costume suggest that the National Portrait Gallery was correct in identifying her as Geraldine Webber.

Newspaper Accounts

• She was dressed as "the Sun," wearing a "white and gold striped gauze cloak of silver, lined gold; scarf and collar of chiffon and feathers."
• "MISS GERALDINE MAGNIAC appeared as Dawn, with a gold rising sun in her hair and gold rays on her shoulder. Her gown was composed of white gauze narrowly threaded with gold over white satin, with sash of palest pink chiffon and large Medici collar of white marabout; the cloak was composed of silver gauze lined with gold, and a necklace of diamond dewdrops was worn round the throat."

Demographics

• Nationality: British

Residence

• Mr. Charles Magniac, M.P.: Colworth, Bedfordshire

Family

• Augusta Frederica Anne Fitzpatrick (c. 1835 – 24 February 1903)
• Thomas Vesey Dawson ()
  1. Maj.-Gen. Vesey John Dawson (4 Apr 1853 – 17 January 1930)
  2. Sir Douglas Frederick Rawdon Dawson (25 Apr 1854 – 20 January 1933)
• Charles Magniac (c. 1827 – 23 November 1891)
  1. Herbert Richard Magniac (c. 1860 – )
  2. Charles Vernon Magniac (27 February 1861 – )
  3. Oswald Cecil Magniac (18 March 1862 – )
  4. Hollingsworth Magniac (c. 1868 -– )
  5. Helen Augusta Magniac (c. 1869 – 22 October 1945)
  6. Sybil Aimée Geraldine Magniac (July 1874 – 29 August 1952), married Major Raymond Sudeley Webber ()

Relations

• Augusta Frederica Anne Fitzpatrick was the daughter of one Lord Castletown and sister of the next one.

Notes and Questions

1. Geraldine Magniac was at the ball, as were her two stepbrothers, Vesey John Dawson and Douglas Frederick Rawdon Dawson.
2. Augusta Frederica Anne Magniac died while visiting India in 1903; she was married at that point to Thomas Vesey Dawson.
3. In the 1861 census, Augusta V. A. Magniac was living with Charles Magniac at 67 Grosvenor Street, with a 1-month-old Magniac and 6 female and 2 male servants.
4. In the 1871 census, Charles and Augusta Magniac are living at Chesterfield House, South Audley Street, with Douglas F. Dawson and Helen Magniac as well as 6 female servants. Douglas Dawson is Augusta's son, Charles Magniac's stepson.
5. In the 1881 census, Charles but not Augusta is at home, along with Vesey J. Dawson, Oswald C. Magniac and Sybilanne G. Magniac as well as a housekeeper, 11 female and 13 male servants; the jobs of many of these servants are specified for the census (e.g., housekeeper, valet, under-butler, etc.).
6. In the 1891 census, Charles Magniac is living at home; Augusta wasn't there that day; also present were Helen, Geraldine, Major Vesey Dawson, and Mabel Magniac as well as a visitor Kathleen Walsh (16 years old), a Swiss governess Miss Pagan (28 years old), 14 female and 8 male servants. Vesey Dawson is Augusta's son, Charles Magniac's stepson.