Elizabeth Fry was a Quaker who became famous for her work to reform the prison system in Britain in the early nineteenth century. By her example she inspired other women to play a fuller role in society.
Early life
Elizabeth Fry (known as Betsy) was born on 21 May 1780, the third child of Joseph Gurney, a wealthy Quaker manufacturer, and his wife Catherine.
From Betsy’s diary we know that she thought her mother was the most important influence on her life. Catherine Gurney ensured that her daughters were academically educated. When Catherine visited the sick and poor in the district, Betsy accompanied her. Catherine died when Betsy was twelve.
In the summer of 1799 Elizabeth married Joseph Fry, a Quaker from a family of wealthy merchants.
Newgate
In 1812 she was visited by Stephen Grellet, a French Quaker, who had been horrified by what he had seen at the women’s prison in Newgate. He found prisoners lying on the bare stone floors and newborn babies without clothing. He went to Elizabeth Fry, who immediately sent out for warm material and asked other women Quakers to help her make clothes for the babies.
Elizabeth and her sister-in-law visited Newgate soon after and were appalled at the conditions they found there and worked for a short period to provide some basic necessities for the women and children.
Elizabeth was unable to visit it for another four years due to family reasons including business problems, the birth of two more children and the death of her daughter Betsy, aged four.
In 1816 Fry again visited the women of Newgate and suggested they might start a school for the children. A prisoner volunteered to be the teacher and the women went on discussing the plan after Elizabeth left. When she returned the next day she found a waiting crowd who had tried to tidy and clean the prison and themselves.
Elizabeth tried to get financial backing for her prison school from her family, but this was rejected. She then set up a committee of twelve women – eleven Quakers and the wife of a clergyman to progress the cause. The prison’s governor initially rejected the idea, but after attending a meeting at the prison he was so impressed with the behaviour of the prisoners that he agreed to the school.
The committee, The Association for the Improvement of the Female Prisoners in Newgate, not only organised a school for the children, but arranged for a woman to be appointed as a matron to supervise the prisoners. It also provided materials so that the prisoners could sew, knit and make goods for sale, in order to buy basic provisions. Elizabeth helped gain funding for the prison from the Corporation of London.
Prison reform
This was the start of a period of Elizabeth Fry’s life when she had extraordinary influence for a woman of her day. In 1818 she was asked to give evidence to a Committee of the House of Common on London prisons.
One area where Elizabeth made important changes was in the treatment of prisoners sentenced to transportation to the colonies. She improved transportation conditions and tried to ensure that prisoners were provided with gainful employment aboard the ships making items for sale.
Her work became very well known. After visiting many prisons in Britain she published a book, Observations, on the visiting, superintendence and government of female prisoners, calling for more opportunities for women and strongly condemning the death penalty.
News of what she had achieved at Newgate led to the setting up of Ladies Committees in other towns in Britain and in Europe. She attracted the interest of Queen Victoria and the Russian court, who set up a committee to visit prisoners. Later in life she travelled Europe, visiting royal families to further prison reform.
As well as her work with prisoners, Elizabeth Fry set up District Visiting Societies to work with the poor and a training school for nurses.