Anna Sewell in Old Catton, Sewell wrote the manuscript of "Black Beauty" – in the period between 1871 and 1877. During this time her health was declining; she was often so weak that she was confined to her bed. 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. Although the book is now considered a children's classic, Sewell 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
Alice Maud Sewell she had seven children. In 1912 she and Ethel Osborne co-founded the Lyceum Club, Melbourne. The club was modeled on the London Lyceum Club, with membership open to women with a university education. Sewell was also a member of the Country Women's Association, the Victoria League, and the Ormond Women's Association. She died on 16 February 1971 in Berwick. Alice Maud Sewell Lady Alice Maud Sewell (1881 - 1971) was the first woman to win the Wyselaskie scholarship in classical and comparative philology and logic. She was a co-founder of the Lyceum Club, Melbourne. Sewell née Cunning was born on