Elizabeth Fry
The infamous picture of that woman on the English £5 note is Elizabeth Fry, a Quaker from Norwich. She is famous for being a Victorian philanthropist because she changed the system of prison life in England. Elizabeth was born on 21st April 1780 in Norwich to John Gurney, banker and owner of a factory, and Catherine Bell. As a child, Elizabeth was brought up with her mother's faith- a denomination of Christianity called Quaker. Part of a large family, she lived in Earlham Hall, built in 1642, with her ten siblings: Joseph, Samuel, Louisa, Daniel, Priscilla, Rachel, John, Hannah, Catherine and Richenda and their parents. At the age of twelve, Elizabeth's beloved mother died and so she had to assist in the bringing up of her brothers and sisters. As a youth, she embraced bright colours and wore French style hats in support of the French Revolution! When Elizabeth was twenty, in 1800, she married a fellow Quaker- Joseph Fry. Together they had eleven children and m...