Howard, John
The Prison Campaigner
Bedfordshire Times February 1984

People > Howard, John

JOHN Howard, born in Hackney in 1726, spent his childhood at his father's house at Cardington. When on a voyage his ship was captured by a French privateer, and Howard experienced the miseries of a dungeon at Brest.

It was an experience which proved a turning point for Howard. Returning to England, he made Cardington his home and became High Sheriff of Bedfordshire in 1773.

His official visits to the jail drew his attention to their abuses and he devoted the remaining years of his life to a careful accumulation of facts illustrating the plight of prisoners, not only in Great Britain but throughout Europe.

His life at Cardington was devoted to philanthropy.

Reproduced by permission of the Bedfordshire Times   

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