Words of Light and Hope from Tony Hawes
Sunday 11 October 2026
Prisons Week – Elizabeth Fry
Elizabeth Fry, originally Elizabeth Gurney, was born into a
wealthy Quaker family in Norwich in 1780. She moved to London aged
20 after marrying the banker Richard Fry, a member of the family behind
the Fry’s chocolate company. The couple had 11 children.
Image of an engraving by John James Hinchliff (1805-1875)
The Quakers are a Christian movement with a strong belief in
peace, justice and the equality of all people. Fry’s religion led her to
devote her life to helping others. Prison reform had been a Quaker cause
for some time. In 1813, a friend suggested that Fry should visit the women’s section of Newgate Prison. The jailer there told Elizabeth that
the prisoners were dangerous and that Fry shouldn’t go inside. But she
insisted.
When Elizabeth Fry visited the men and women at London’s
Newgate Prison in 1814, her shock at the terrible conditions there set her
on a path of pioneering reform. She spent the following decades working
to improve the experience for women in prisons in this country and
abroad. She aimed to help prisoners avoid crime through religious and
moral guidance, rather than dishing out cruel and vengeful punishment.
By raising awareness of the poor state of prisons, she helped pass
key reforms, including the segregation of men and women prisoners
and the introduction of women wardens.
Fry’s work has made her one of the most celebrated British
women of the 19th century, alongside the likes of Florence Nightingale
and Mary Seacole.
(London Museum)
Merciful God, you have compassion on all that you have made and
your whole creation is enfolded in your love: help us to stand firm
for your truth, and to share your love with our neighbour, that with
your servant Elizabeth we may be instruments of your peace;
through Jesus Christ your Son our Lord. Amen.