In February, 1809, she and her husband left Mildred’s Court to occupy the house at Plashet; to her a pleasant change from the smoke and din of the great city.  Here, her sixth child, a boy, was born in autumn of that year.  Shortly afterwards she was summoned to Earlham, where she witnessed the death of her own father.  It was a heavy blow to her, but she had the satisfaction of finding that his mind was at peace when he drew near his end.  “He frequently expressed that he feared no evil, but believed that, through the mercy of God in Christ, he should be received in glory; his deep humility, and the tender and loving state he was in, were most valuable to those around him.  He encouraged us, his children, to hold on our way; and sweetly expressed his belief that our love of good (in the degree we had it) had been a stimulus and help to him.”  At the meeting before the funeral she resolved to say nothing, but her uncle Joseph spoke words of comfort and encouragement; and then she could not refrain from falling on her knees, and exclaiming, “Great and marvellous are Thy works, Lord God Almighty; just and true are all Thy ways, Thou King of saints; be pleased to receive our thanksgiving.”  She could say no more, though intending to express thankfulness on her beloved father’s account.  The great tenderness of her uncle gratified her, “and my husband,” she adds, “has been a true helpmate and sweet counsellor.”

VIII.

Work at Plashet.

As soon as they were settled at Plashet, Elizabeth Fry formed and carried out various plans for the poor.  She established a girls’ school for the parish of East Ham, of which Plashet is a hamlet.  The clergyman and his wife gave their help, and a school of about seventy girls was soon busily at work.  The bodily wants of the poor claimed her attention.  A depot of calico and flannel was always ready, besides outer garments.  There was a cupboard well stocked with medicines.  In the winter, hundreds of the destitute poor had the benefit of a soup kitchen, the boiler of an outhouse being applied to this use.  About half a mile off, on the high road between Stratford and Ilford, there was a colony of Irish, dirty and miserable, as such settlements in England usually are.  Some she induced to send their children to school, and, with the consent of the priest, circulated the Bible among them.  Once when the weather was extremely cold, and great distress prevailed, being at the time too delicate to walk, she went alone to Irish Row, in the carriage literally piled with flannel petticoats for the poor women, others of the party at Plashet walking to meet her and help in the distribution.  Her children were trained as almoners very young, and she expected them to give an exact account of what they gave, and their reasons for giving.  She was a very zealous and practical advocate for vaccination, having been taught by the celebrated Dr. Willan, one of the earliest and most successful followers of Dr. Jenner.