Elizabeth (Gurney) Fry

Elizabeth (Gurney) Fry 1780-1845, English prison reformer and philanthropist. Deeply religious, she was recognized as a minister by the Society of Friends (Quakers). From 1813 she worked untiringly to improve the conditions of women in Newgate prison, advocating separation of the sexes, employment, and religious training. The success of her methods at Newgate impressed the government and were tried in other prisons. For several years she traveled throughout Europe, visiting penal institutions. Her other philanthropies included the founding of soup kitchens in London.

Bibliography: See her memoirs, ed. by her daughters (2 vol., rev. and enl. 1848, repr. 1972); biography by J. H. S. Kent (1963); studies by D. Johnson (1969) and J. Whitney (1937, repr. 1972).

Fry, Elizabeth (Gurney) (1780–1845) British philanthropist and prison reformer. The wife of a London Quaker, Joseph Fry, she subsequently became recognized as a preacher in the Society of Friends. After a visit to Newgate prison in 1813, horrified by what she found there, she began to press for more humane treatment for women prisoners. Her unflagging determination resulted in eventual reform. She visited other European countries to advocate improvement in prison conditions and in the treatment of the insane. She also founded hostels for the homeless.

Fry, Elizabeth (1780–1845). Reformer. Elizabeth Fry was born into the quaker family of Gurney, bankers of Norwich, and brought up at Earlham Hall. At the age of 20 she married another quaker banker, Joseph Fry, and went on to raise a large family. Elizabeth Fry began visiting Newgate and in 1817 founded an association to help the female prisoners. In 1818 she gave evidence to a parliamentary committee, insisting on the importance of useful work for prisoners. By the 1820s she had acquired an international reputation, though her husband's bankruptcy in 1828 forced her to curtail her activities.