TS_history2 15/9/05 12:45 pm Page 32
TIMESAVER BRITISH HISTORY HIGHLIGHTS Famous women
Elizabeth Fry: a life of good work 1 Match the words and pictures with their meanings.
1 blanket 2 cell 3 to sew
a a building to keep bad people in ...... prison
b to make clothes by hand ......
c to kill someone with a rope round their neck ......
d to take something without asking or paying for it ......
e you put this over you to keep warm in bed ......
f this man or woman stops prisoners from leaving prison ...... 4 prison g a room in prison for a prisoner to stay in ......
2 Read the text on page 33 and write True or False?
1 Elizabeth Fry had three children...... False
2 She visited women in prison......
3 Each woman prisoner had her own room......
4 Elizabeth believed in helping prisoners to start new lives...... 5 to steal 5 She believed in hanging......
6 She helped homeless people......
7 She went to the Crimea with Florence Nightingale......
8 Queen Victoria didn’t help Elizabeth......
6 to hang
7 guard
32 TIMESAVER BRITISH HISTORY HIGHLIGHTS © MARY GLASGOW MAGAZINES, AN IMPRINT OF SCHOLASTIC INC. TS_history2 15/9/05 12:46 pm Page 33
TIMESAVER BRITISH HISTORY HIGHLIGHTS Famous women
Elizabeth Fry: 1780–1845
Elizabeth was the daughter of a Quaker banker. At that time the British hanged people for stealing Quakers are Christians*. They believe in a simple* clothes or food. Elizabeth thought this was wrong church, and they believe in helping poor people. and tried to stop hanging. Elizabeth also helped In 1800 Elizabeth married Joseph Fry, a London people with no homes. In 1840 she started a London merchant*. They had eight children, but Elizabeth school for nurses. Fry nurses were very good. Florence still helped the poor. She was interested in prisoners. Nightingale took some of them with her to help in British hospitals in the Crimean War. Queen Prisoners often became ill in prison at that time. Victoria was interested in Elizabeth’s work and When Elizabeth first visited Newgate (the biggest gave her money to help her. When Elizabeth London prison) she found 300 women and their died, thousands of poor people were very sad. children in four cells. Prisoners slept on the floor without nightclothes or blankets. Women cooked, washed, and slept in the same cell. Elizabeth went back the next day with food and clothes.
In 1816 Elizabeth started a school for prisoners’ children. She also taught women prisoners to read and sew. She wanted them to get jobs and start new lives when they came out of prison. She visited different prisons in Britain, and she talked to people in the British government*. Slowly British prisons became better. By the 1820s she was famous for her prison work.
3 Where can you see a picture of Elizabeth Fry today? Complete the sentences and find out. 1 Before Elizabeth Fry changed things, prisoners slept __on __ the floor. 2 The second letter of ‘hanging’ is __
3 Two and three are ______
4 The money in Britain is the ______. Answer:
5 One day Elizabeth left a ______for her husband at home. ………………………………………...... …………on
It said ‘I’ve gone to Newgate.’ ………………………………………...... …………
4 Write –ed or –ing to complete the adjectives.
1 Elizabeth was interest...... ed in helping people. 2 She didn’t have a bor...... life. It was full of activity. Personal Project 3 She was sometimes tir...... because she was busy. - Which famous people have appeared on your country’s 4 She had some excit...... ideas about changing prisoners’ lives. money or its stamps? 5 Queen Victoria thought Elizabeth’s work was interest...... - Find out more about one of them. 6 The prisoners were bor...... until she taught them to sew and read.
7 When she started her new school, she felt excit...... * What is it in your language? 8 Some of her days were very long and tir...... Find out!
TIMESAVER BRITISH HISTORY HIGHLIGHTS © MARY GLASGOW MAGAZINES, AN IMPRINT OF SCHOLASTIC INC. 33