Elizabeth Missing Sewell

Elizabeth Missing Sewell (19 February 1815 – 17 August 1906) was an English author of religious and educational texts notable in the 19th century. As a home tutor, she devised a set of influential principles of education.

Biography and writings

Elizabeth Missing Sewell was born at High Street, Newport, Isle of Wight, on 19 February 1815, as third daughter in a family of seven sons and five daughters of Thomas Sewell (1775–1842), solicitor, of Newport, and his wife Jane Edwards (1773–1848). She was sister of Henry Sewell, the first premier of New Zealand, of James Edwards Sewell, warden of New College, Oxford, of Richard Clarke Sewell, reader in law to the University of Melbourne and the author of many legal works, and of William Sewell, clergyman and author. Elizabeth was educated first at Miss Crooke's school at Newport and then at the Misses Aldridge's school, Bath. At the age of 15 she went home and joined her sister Ellen, two years her senior, in teaching her younger sisters.

About 1840 her brother William introduced her to some leaders of the Oxford Movement, including Keble, Newman and Henry Wilberforce. Influenced by the religious stir of the period, she published in 1840, in The Cottage Monthly, Stories illustrative of the Lord's Prayer, which appeared in book form in 1843. Like all her early works, the stories were marked as having been edited by her brother William.

The family experienced money difficulties through the failure of two local banks, and her father died in 1842 deep in debt. Elizabeth and the other children undertook to pay off the creditors by setting aside a sum each year from her literary earnings, until all was repaid. Until 1844 the family lived at Pidford Manor or Ventnor, but in that year Mrs Sewell and her daughters settled at Sea View, Bonchurch. Elizabeth bought the house, enlarged it in 1854, and later changed its name to Ashcliff. There she met William Adams, another High Church author of religious works.