Author: Magness, William
Biography:
MAGNESS, William (fl 1800-25)
Despite his unusual name, with variant spellings such as Mackness and Magnus, there are no clues to his date and place of birth. The record of his death gives his year of birth as 1758. He was, as his title-pages indicate, a surgeon (Member of the Royal College of Surgeons) and “surgeon dentist.” In 1805 he had a practice at 5 Walker’s Court, Golden Square, London—a property he occupied at least from 1800 to 1825. He took an interest in naval achievements, as witnessed by his two poems on the battles of Trafalgar and Salamanca. In Apr. 1830 in Upper Crown Court, London, he died in penury after a long illness. Newspaper notices commented on his "great reverse of fortune." Magness was buried at St. Margaret's, Westminster, on 8 Apr. He left a widow and daughter, both of whom were blind. He also wrote The Warm Reception; or, the Overthrow of Bonaparte (1805) and Exhortatory Address to the Most Powerful Nation (1805) but these have not been traced. (ancestry.co.uk 25 Feb. 2023; findmypast.co.uk 25 Feb. 2023; Holden’s Triennial Directory 1805; Pigot’s Directory 1825; New Times [London] 7 Apr. 1830; Watt)