Anna Sewell (/ˈsjuːəl/;[2] 30 March 1820 – 25 April 1878)[1] was an English novelist who wrote the 1877 novel Black Beauty, her only published work.

For greater mobility, she frequently used horse-drawn carriages, which contributed to her love of horses and concern for the humane treatment of animals.

At about the same time, both Sewell and her mother left the Society of Friends to join the Church of England,[5] though both remained active in evangelical circles.

[9] In many respects the book can be read as a guide to horse husbandry, stable management and humane training practices for colts.

[4][11] Sewell's birthplace in Church Plain, Great Yarmouth has been the home to a museum and a tea shop and is leased by Redwings Horse Sanctuary.

[6] There is an Anna Sewell memorial fountain and horse trough outside the public library in Ansonia, Connecticut, in the United States of America.

[6] On 1 September 1984, the graveyard at Lamas was bulldozed by contractors under the direction of Mrs Wendy Forsey without prior warning or permission.

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.

The gravestones of Anna, her parents and maternal grandparents were subsequently placed in a flint-and-brick wall outside the old Lammas Quaker meeting house.