Mary Wright Sewell

Mary Wright Sewell (/ˈsuːəl/; 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.^[1]

Life

Mary was born into the Quaker faith in 1797, and she married Isaac Sewell on the 15 June 1819 at Lamas in Norfolk.^[1] 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 was born.^[2]

The family lived at the Blue Lodge, Wick from 1858 to 1864. She had a great love of poetry and wrote Mother's Last Words (which sold just over a million copies throughout the world) while living at Wick, near Bristol. The book tells a story of how two boys are saved from sin by their mothers last words.^[1]

Works

• The children of Summerbrook : scenes of village life, described in simple verse, 1850
• Our Father's care: a ballad, 1857
• Homely ballads for the working man's fireside, 1858
• "Thy poor brother" : letters to a friend on helping the poor, 1860
• Mother's last words: a ballad, 1865
• Ballads for children : including "Mother's last words", and "Our father's care", 1867
• An appeal to Englishwomen, 1870

References

External links

• Mother's Last Words by Mary Sewell 19th Century copy of Mother's Last Words.