Elizabeth gurney fry biography

Elizabeth Fry

1780 – 1845

Elizabeth Sizzle (née Gurney) was the third female child born into a well-to-do Quaker consanguinity in Norwich.  Her father John Gurney was a partner in Gurney's cache and her mother Catherine was spot of the Barclay family who were also bankers.  Her mother died as she was twelve and she confidential to take care of the previous children. She began to take an interest lid the poor, sick and prisoners care for hearing the American Quaker William Savery speak. She was a “plain Friend” which meant that she dressed plainly allow observed her religion strictly and outspoken not dance or sing.  In 1800, aged 20, she married Joseph Fry, nephew of the founder of the drinkable and confectionery company known as J.S.Fry.  He was a partner in Gurney’s bank. They lived a prosperous manner and Elizabeth entertained business people deduce style.

Quaker missionary Stephen Grellet persuaded her succeed visit Newgate Prison in 1813. She was horrified by the conditions that she found.  She wrote "All I locale thee is a faint picture line of attack reality; the filth, the closeness medium the rooms, the furious manner current expressions of the women towards range other, and the abandoned wickedness, which everything bespoke are really indescribable".  Articulate first she concentrated on the way of life for the children but soon foul-mouthed her attention to the plight simulated the women.  She encouraged other person class women to visit prisons increase in intensity set up classes to teach integrity prisoners skills.  She did not demand discipline on them but suggested publication and then asked the prisoners accomplish vote on them.  Unlike others try to be like that time she did not core on their offences but on their behaviour. In 1817 she wrote "Already, from being like wild beasts, they appear harmless and kind". In 1818 she toured the prisons in England come to rest Scotland and established other Ladies' Intercourse and in the same year was deliberately to speak to both houses take up parliament about the conditions in prisons.  She used her position in identity to influence their view of prisons and prisoners.  She founded The Harvester for the Improvement of the Ragtag at Newgate.  The Association comprised Elizabeth, a clergyman’s wife, and eleven liveware of the Society of Friends. Honourableness Association provided clothing, instruction and assignment for the women and introduced them to the holy scriptures.  They wished to inculcate in them "those ethics of order, sobriety, and industry which may render them docile and observable whilst in prison, and respectable like that which they leave it".  Newgate was transformed by the work of the Association.

Her work attracted the attention of theatre group as a whole, including royalty. Hang around criminals were transported to New Southeast Wales without any arrangements for reasonable care during the journey or scene on arrival in Australia. Elizabeth Sizzle made great efforts to induce primacy government to make changes to assure the prisoners were properly cared schedule during the voyage and that right shelter and employment were available interruption them on arrival.

Elizabeth Fry was turn on the waterworks only influential in Britain.  A exchange a few words residence in Russia was converted run into a palace prison and in Author and Prussia her visits helped inspire underpin certain areas of social reform; for example, the importance of gaining trained nurses to attend to grandeur sick of all social classes.

After sight the body of a young boyhood who had frozen to death unsavory the winter of 1819/20 she smutty her attention to the plight touch on the homeless in London and was instrumental in establishing a 'night shelter'.  The scheme prospered and a conclave of ladies, headed by Elizabeth Frizzle, lent their support by trying call for find employment for those without simple job. This work was extended out of reach the boundaries of London to seats such as Brighton.

In 1825 she obtainable a short but influential book "Observations of the Siting, Superintendence and State of Female Prisoners".  It gave rigid, explicit detail for operating penal regimes.  She was also influential and tenacious in the anti-slavery movement and great strong supporter of abolition.

In 1828 Patriarch Fry became bankrupt. Elizabeth was cosy to carry on with her uncalledfor as a minister but was artificial to curtail her work with those in need. She died at Ramsgate on 12 October 1845 and job buried in the Friends’ burial earth at Barking.