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*[http://www.clophillhistory.mooncarrot.org.uk/spotlight/howard.pdf John Howard] | |||
At the age of twenty John Howard took himself on a “Grand Tour” of France and Italy. Although travelling great distances in those days must have been difficult John Howard enjoyed the challenge of getting to new places. He returned home three years later when he had an illness described as a “nervous fever” and was advised to change his diet. From this time he restricted himself to vegetables, fruit, bread, milk and tea. | |||
Eventually he moved into the home of Sarah Lardeau who nursed him back to health. Although she was twice his age Howard proposed marriage to Sarah in 1752 but she died three years later. | |||
Nine days before his wife's death there was a huge earthquake in Lisbon, Portugal. Howard wanted to see the aftermath and eventually set sail from Falmouth in 1757. He chose to sail directly to Lisbon to avoid the current hostilities between Great Britain, France and Spain. Unfortunately, his ship, the Hanover, was attacked and captured by a French privateer and taken to Brittany where Howard was imprisoned in the castle at Brest. After a few months he was release and allowed to return to England. | |||
Howard now settled in Cardington, where he had inherited family properties, and started to improve his home and those of his tenants. He married Henrietta Leeds in 1758 and she helped with his work to improve the accommodation of villagers. In 1765 Henrietta gave birth to their only son, John (known as Jack), and died a few days later. | |||
After a spell of ill-health Howard started travelling abroad again and made several trips over the next few years. Eventually he settled back in Cardington and was appointed High Sheriff of Bedfordshire in 1773. One of his duties was to attend the Assizes. Here he saw prisoners being brought to court in shackles. He was particularly concerned to find that debtors, having paid their debt, were sent back to prison because they could not pay the fees that they owed the gaoler. | |||
Driven by curiosity he visited Bedford Gaol to see how it functioned. He found it “foul and fetid” but, as he would discover later, it was not as bad as some. He discovered that the gaoler was not paid but could charge fees. On the wall was a notice that said “All persons that come to this place ... must pay before discharg'd, fifteen shillings and fourpence, to the Gaoler.” Howard asked the justices if the gaoler could be paid a salary instead of relying on the prisoners for their income but they were reluctant to do this. He decided to find out what went on in other gaols starting with Cambridge where he arrived unannounced. He meticulously recorded all the details of the gaol. He must have felt that this was his life's vocation for he immediately set off for Huntingdon to inspect its gaol. This was the beginning of his relentless self-imposed schedule of gaol visits that would continue for the rest of his life. | |||
*[http://www.bbc.co.uk/history/historic_figures/howard_john.shtml BBC Historic Figures John Howard] | *[http://www.bbc.co.uk/history/historic_figures/howard_john.shtml BBC Historic Figures John Howard] | ||