ELIZABETH GURNEY FRY

Angel of the Prisons

Quakers are Christians who believe in simple living, the brotherhood of all people, and working for peace instead of fighting wars.

Elizabeth Gurney was born May 21, 1780, into a Quaker family in Norwich, England. As a girl, Elizabeth often grumbled at the long, silent, Quaker meetings. But at the age of eighteen, she turned her heart to God. When she decided to become a "Plain Friend"—wearing plain clothes and giving up worldly amusements—her sisters thought she was taking this "spiritual thing" too far.

Even after she married Joseph Fry and had a houseful of children, Elizabeth always found time to help the poor by bringing them warm clothing, medicine, and hot soup.

In 1813, Elizabeth visited Newgate Prison in London. The terrible conditions the prisoners lived in shocked her. So she formed the Ladies Newgate Committee, a group of Quaker volunteers who helped start a school for children of prisoners and supported many other prison reforms. People were amazed that Elizabeth always treated the prisoners with respect and dignity.

Though she was often sick and had many family responsibilities, Elizabeth Fry continued to reach out to the poor and the prisoners for the sake of Christ. Until her death in 1845 at the age of sixty-five, her prayer was always, "Whatever I do in anything, may I do it as to Thee."

© 1997 Dave and Neta Jackson, Hero Tales, Vol. II