A Bedford-based non-conformist, Howard lived an eventful life before dedicating himself to achieving prison reform. He was born in Enfield but inherited a considerable estate at Cardington  which brought him to  Bedford. Travelling after the death of his wife following only two years of  marriage, Howard's voyage to Portugal was interrupted by a French privateer. He was taken prisoner and held without food or water on the forty-hour journey to Brest, after which he was promptly deposited in a French dungeon. He was moved to Morlaix and eventually exchanged for a French Officer held by the English. In 1758 Howard married Henrietta Leeds, with whom he  shared  philanthropic views and a vegetarian diet. They  ran their Cardington estate progressively , with careful attention to the conditions of the homes and the education of the people for whom they were responsible. In 1773 the position of Sheriff of Bedfordshire  became vacant and Howard was appointed. The duties of the Sheriff included that of prison inspector, and Howard was appalled by the  insanitary conditions he found. He was surprised by  the arrangement through which prisoners paid their gaolers and were kept gaoled for non-payment even if acquitted of their crime. Two acts were passed by Parliament in 1774 at the behest of Howard, which stipulated that acquitted prisoners should be freed without charge and that the health of prisoners should be regularly checked. Howard pushed for further acts ensuring reforms and travelled Europe, visiting prisons and meeting with royalty. His final trip abroad to a military prison camp in the Ukraine culminated in his contracting typhus, from which he never recovered. The inscription on his tomb in the Ukraine reads "Whosoever thou art, thou standest at the grave of thy friend".

The Howard Statue

A statue commemorating Howard stands in Saint Paul's Square, Bedford. Created by Sir Alfred Gilbert, the sculptor of Eros in Piccadilly Circus, the statue was erected in 1894  and stands on a plinth decorated with a flowing Art Nouveau design. The original maquette for the figure is currently on display at the Cecil Higgins Art Gallery.

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