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Anna was born in Great Yarmouth in Norfolk on 30th March
1820. The daughter of Quakers Mary Sewell (née Wright)
and Isaac Sewell, she very quickly entered a life of
moving around whilst her father sought employment to
support the family. Financial hardship meant that Anna
was largely educated at home by her mother and it was
mainly based on the bible and moral teaching.
Anna's early life and that of her family was hard. They
had to endure the grime and squalor of London and Anna's
mother took every opportunity to send her and her
brother Philip back to Anna's maternal grandparents'
house in Buxton near Norwich. It was around Buxton that
Anna experienced some of her happiest times with a great
amount of freedom and countryside.
Anna
did not enjoy good health. As a young teenager at the
family home in Stoke Newington, Anna fell and twisted
her ankle badly. It never completely healed and Anna
was lame for the rest of her life. As she grew older,
Anna's health problems grew worse with various pains and
ailments. She was also prone to bouts of great fatigue
and depression. These illnesses became more and more
debilitating for Anna as she grew older.
Anna
never married. Apart from short spells away, she spent
much of her life with her parents. Her return to
Norfolk would seem to be in part due to her parents
retirement and in no small measure due to bad fortune
befalling her brother Philip.
In December 1866, Anna's sister-in-law, her brother's
wife, died. The strain of this and having to look after
his seven children resulted in Philip's health failing.
Anna and her parents decided to move back to Norfolk to
help him and the children. |
