Mary Wright Sewell Mary Wright Sewell Mary Wright Sewell (; 6 April 1797 – 10 June 1884) was an English poet and children's author. Though popular for writing juvenile bestsellers in her day, she is better known today as the mother of Anna Sewell, the author of "Black Beauty". Mary was born into the Quaker faith in 1797, and she married Isaac Sewell on the 15 June 1819 at Lamas in Norfolk. Her daughter Anna was born in 1820 and her son Philip two years later. Her husband Isaac had a number of ill-advised businesses and he declared himself bankrupt after his son
Anna Sewell Sewell assisted her mother, for example, to establish a working men's club, and worked with her on temperance and abolitionist campaigns. In 1845, the family moved to Lancing, and Sewell's health began to deteriorate. She travelled to Europe the following year to seek treatments. On her return, the family continued to relocate – to Wick in 1858, and to Bath in 1864. In 1866, Philip's wife died, leaving him with seven young children to care for, and the following year the Sewells moved to Old Catton, a village outside the city of Norwich in Norfolk, to support him. While living