Elizabeth Fry was born on May 21, 1780 in Norwich, England. 

Her father, John Gurney, owned the Gurney Bank in Norwich. Elizabeth was the third of six children. 

When she was twelve years old, her mother died, leaving her and her two older sisters to care for the younger children in the family. 

When Elizabeth was twenty years old, she married Joseph Fry. They eventually had eleven children.

In 1813, she went to the Newgate Prison in London. She was shocked by what she observed. The prisoners, especially the women and children, were sick and dirty. None of them had enough to eat. 

Elizabeth decided to help the prisoners. She started bringing food and clothes for the women and children in the prison.

In 1816, she started a prison school for the young children that were in prison with their parents. Eventually, even the mothers came to learn with their children. 

 In 1827, Elizabeth went to Ireland to help improve the living conditions in the prisons.