Anna Sewell

"Anna Sewell was born in 1820 and died in 1878. She was lame from childhood and spent most of her life as a semi-invalid living at Brighton where her father had a position as a Bank Manager. Her mother wrote several moral tales in verse for children. Anna wrote only one book, Black Beauty, which was published 1877, and which sold over 100,000 copies in the first twenty years. It has been translated into French, Italian, German and has been described as 'one of themost successful animal stories ever written." (Biographical note from <i>"Black Beauty"</i>, Blackie & Son Ltd., Glasgow, ca 1950s.) ---------- **Mary and Anna Sewell** ---------- **By Diana Kennedy** ---------- > *This article was originally published in the August 2001 edition of Soul > Search, the journal of The Sole > Society.* Both Mary Sewell nee Wright and her daughter Anna were authors. Mary, less well known today was a popular author of juvenile best sellers, writing stories with titles such as “Mother’s Last Words”, “Our Father’s Care” and “Thy Poor Brother”. Mary was a deeply religious woman, with a sensitive and artistic nature, who was until 1835 a Quaker. She was also a member of the Anti-Slavery Association. Her daughter Anna was the author of the well known children’s classic ‘Black Beauty’, a fictional autobiography of a thoroughbred horse. Her aim in writing the book was to “induce kindness, sympathy and an understanding treatment of horses”. The book has a strong moral purpose and is said to have been instrumental in the abolition of the cruel practice of using the checkrein . The book was recommended by the Royal Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals. Mary Wright was born 6th April 1797 at Sutton, Suffolk, the daughter of John Wright a gentleman farmer and Ann nee Holmes. Ann was the daughter of John Holmes of Tivetshall, Norfolk. Mary Wright married Isaac Sewell on 15th June 1819 at Lamas, Norfolk after a five year courtship. Isaac was the youngest of twelve children of William and Hannah Maria nee Fuller was born 25th September 1793 at Great Yarmouth. His father William was the second of eight children of Abraham and Mary Sewell. Isaac and Mary’s daughter Anna was baptised at Great Yarmouth on 30th March 1820. A few days after Anna’s birth Isaac discovered that he had been swindled in a business venture, leaving him in financial difficulties. With the help of Quaker Friends the family moved to a little house and shop off Bishopsgate Street in London opposite a gin palace. Unfortunately Isaac had been badly advised and soon after the birth of his son Phillip in 1822, the family found themselves in further financial difficulties. The family then moved to Dalston, where they were to spend the next ten years. It was at Dalston that Mary Sewell’s first little book was published, a book of verses which were written with the object of inculcating moral virtues in all relations of her life. Mary taught her children at home and writing helped her to earn money to buy books for her children’s education. Later Anna was to attend a day boarding school. Mary trained her children to find glory rather than degradation in work, and work became an outlet for the high spirited Anna. It was a happy time for the family at Dalston, although it was here that returning from school one day Anna fell and sprained both her ankles severely. Despite medical attention Anna became more and more crippled, and was to spend much of her life confined to home. However she was always cheerful and thoughtful towards others, despite her problems. In 1836 Isaac moved to Brighton with his family to become the manager of the London and County Bank. It was here that her parents hoped to find a cure for Anna. A doctor bled her profusely, but she steadily grew more crippled. She does however write in her journal in 1844 of walks with her friends and visits to London to see art galleries. She herself was a gifted artist. Anna also had a love of nature and delighted in…

Read more on Open Library