IN
Affectionate remembrance of
ANNA SEWELL,
Daughter of
ISAAC & MARY SEWELL,
Who died at Catton
April 25th. 1878,
Aged 58 years.
Anna Sewell is the author of 'Black Beauty'.
She was born on 30th. March 1820 at 26 Church Plain, Great Yarmouth, Norfolk into a devoutly Quaker family, the daughter of Isaac Phillip (1793-1879), and Mary Sewell, nee Wright (1798 - 1884), a successful author of children's books. Anna had one sibling, a younger brother named Philip. The children were largely educated at home by their mother due to a lack of money for schooling. Their education was heavily influenced by their mother's religious and educational convictions.
In 1822 the family moved to Dalston in the Borough of Hackney, East London. Life was difficult for the family, and Anna and Philip were frequently sent to stay with their mother's parents, John and Ann Wright, in Buxton, Norfolk
When Anna was 12 years old, the family moved to Stoke Newington, an area in the north-west part of Hackney. It was there that she attended school for the first time and gained instruction in areas new to her such as mathematics and foreign languages. Two years later, however, she slipped while walking home from school and severely injured both of her ankles.
Her father took a job in Brighton, East Sussex in 1836, partly in the hope that the climate there would help to cure her. Despite this, and most likely because of the mistreatment of her injury, Anna was lame for the rest of her life and was unable to stand without a crutch or to walk for any length of time. For greater mobility, she frequently used horse-drawn carriages, which contributed to her love of horses and concern for the humane treatment of animals. In 1845, the family moved to the coastal village of Lancing in East Sussex, and Anna's health began to deteriorate. She travelled to Europe the following year to seek treatment. On her return, the family continued to relocate, to Abson in South Gloucestershire in 1858 and to Bath, Somerset in 1864.
In 1866, Anna's brother Philip's wife died, leaving him with seven young children to care for, and the following year the Sewell's moved to Old Catton, a village 2 miles (3.2 km) north-east of central Norwich in Norfolk, to support him.
Anna's only published work was Black Beauty, written at Old Catton between 1871 to 1877. During this time her health was declining and she was often so weak that she couldn't get out of bed and writing was a challenge. She dictated the text to her mother and from 1876 began to write on slips of paper which her mother then transcribed.
Anna sold the novel to the publisher Jarrolds of Norwich on 24th. November 1877 for a single payment of £40. Black Beauty, one of the best selling books of all time, was published in 1877. It is considered to be one of the first English novels to be written from the perspective of an animal. Although it is considered a children's classic, Anna originally wrote it for those who worked with horses. She said "a special aim was to induce kindness, sympathy, and an understanding treatment of horses". In many respects the book can be read as a guide to horse husbandry, stable management and humane training practices for colts. It is considered to have had an effect on reducing cruelty to horses.
After the publication of Black Beauty, Anna fell seriously ill and was in extreme pain, discomfort and completely bedridden for the following months. Anna died on 25th. April 1878, aged 58 of hepatitis or tuberculosis. She was buried on 30th. April 1878 in the Quaker burial ground at Lamas, near Buxton.
On 1st. September 1984, the graveyard at Lamas was bulldozed by contractors under the direction of Mrs Wendy Forsey, without prior warning or permission. Tombstones, graves and cypress trees were removed and dumped at the edge of the burial ground. The act was condemned by locals and Council Chairman John Perkins, who said: "I know the land belongs to a private person but I would almost say it was as bad as vandalism. I know Quaker ground is not consecrated, but for anybody to just pull down gravestones of any Quaker, whether it's Anna Sewell or not, well, I think it's despicable". The gravestones of Anna, her parents and maternal grandparents were subsequently placed in a flint and brick wall outside the old Quaker Friends Meeting House at 30 The Street, Lammas.
