Ernest Crawley Explained

Alfred Crawley
Fullname:Alfred Ernest Crawley
Birth Date:11 July 1867[1]
Birth Place:Lincoln, Lincolnshire,[2] England
Death Place:London, England
Wimbledonresult:QF (1902, 1906)
Wimbledondoublesresult:1R (1897, 1902)[3]

Alfred Ernest Crawley (11 July 1867[4] – 21 October 1924) was an English schoolmaster, sexologist, anthropologist, sports journalist and exponent of ball games.

Biography

Ernest Crawley was born in Lincoln, Lincolnshire, the eldest child of Rev. Samuel Crawley, rector of Oddington, Oxfordshire. He was the elder brother of the Olympic lawn tennis player Walter Crawley.[4] He was educated at Sedbergh School and Emmanuel College, Cambridge, where he graduated BA in classics in 1890. He became an assistant master for seven years at St John's School, Leatherhead, before teaching at Lancing College from 1898 to 1901 and at Bradfield School from 1901 to 1905. From 1905 until the Lent Term of 1906 he taught the Sixth Form at Abingdon School.[5] In 1906 he became headmaster of Derby School, though he resigned in December 1908 and took up journalism.[4] In 1913, he resigned from being a clergyman under the terms of the Clerical Disabilities Act 1870 (33 & 34 Vict. c. 91).

Crawley reached the quarterfinals of Wimbledon in 1902 and 1906.[3] He also reached the quarterfinals of Queens in 1913. Though lawn tennis was Crawley's favourite sport, "he was also fond of golf, figure-skating, fives, and revolver shooting".[4] His Book of the Ball (1914) compared several games, trying to discover and illustrate general principles governing the behaviour of the ball. Crawley wrote on sport for publications including The Observer,[6] The Times,[4] and Fry's Magazine.[7]

Crawley's best-known anthropological book, The Mystic Rose (1902), dealt with the anthropology of marriage. He emphasised the importance of marriage ceremonies,[8] explaining sexual and marriage custom with reference to taboo.[9] He contributed to the Encyclopaedia of Religion and Ethics on a range of anthropological topics: 'Anointing', 'Chastity', 'Cursing and Blessing', 'Dress', 'Drinks, Drinking', 'Fire', 'Fire-Gods', 'Food', 'Kissing', 'Life and Death (Primitive)', 'Oath (Introductory and Primitive)', 'Obscenity', 'Ordeal (Introductory and Primitive)', 'Orgy', and 'Processions and Dances'.[10] He was a Fellow of the Royal Anthropological Institute and the Sociological Society.

Crawley died on 21 October 1924 in Kensington.[4]

Works

Notes and References

  1. Birth and baptism of Alfred Ernest Crawley, son of Samuel Crawley and Elizabeth Hannah. England, Select Births and Christenings, 1538-1975
  2. 1871 England Census
  3. http://www.wimbledon.com/en_GB/scores/draws/archive/players/fe5ac8d4-8c3c-4bcc-bbc0-c6718c3e4de7/MD.html Wimbledon Results Archive
  4. 'Death of Mr A. E. Crawley. An Expert in Ball Games', The Times, 25 October 1924
  5. Web site: School Notes. The Abingdonians.
  6. e.g. 'International Lawn Tennis', The Observer, 24 November 1912
  7. 'Reviews and Magazines', The Times, 1 July 1911
  8. 'Obituary: Mr A. E. Crawley', Nature, No. 114 (8 November 1924), pp.689–90
  9. C. K. Ogden, Marriage Taboos, Saturday Review, 3 September 1927
  10. Extracts from 'Dress' have been reprinted in Book: Kim K. P. Johnson. Susan J. Torntore; Joanne B. Eicher. Fashion Foundations: Early Writings on Fashion and Dress. 20 September 2012. 2003. Berg. 978-1-85973-619-7. 21–27.