Who was Elizabeth Fry?
Elizabeth Fry was a British Quaker who worked to improve conditions for women incarcerated in poorhouses in England in the early 1800s. Early in 1813, Elizabeth Fry visited the women’s section of Newgate Prison in London for the first time, and was shocked by the appalling conditions in which the female prisoners and their children were kept. Fry’s first innovation was the establishment of a school for the children of the prisoners. She and her lady-collaborators then introduced a system of classification of the prisoners, prison dress, constant supervision by a matron and monitors (chosen from among the prisoners), religious and elementary education, and paid employment. The result was a remarkable transformation of the daily life, the outward appearance, and the conduct of the prisoners. To give the work a more permanent basis, in April 1817 the Ladies’ Association for the Reformation of the Female Prisoners in Newgate was founded, which extended in 1821 into the British Ladies’ Soci
Prison Reformer and Quaker. Date and Place of Birth: 21st May 1780, Norwich, Norfolk, England. Family Background: Daughter of a wealthy Quaker banker and merchant. Education: Schooled at home by family. She was expected to devote at least two hours a day in silent prayer. Looked after her other brothers and sisters from the age of 12. Chronology/Biography of Elizabeth Fry: 1811: Became a Quaker Minister. Became one of the chief promoters of prison reform in Europe. Did much to bring about improvements in the British hospital system and the treatment of the insane. Marriage: 1800: To Joseph Fry. Places of Interest: Date and Place of Death: 12th October 1845, Ramsgate, Kent, England. Age at Death: 65. Site of Grave: Friends Burial Grounds, Barking, London.
