Full name Alfred Ernest Crawley Name Ernest Crawley Wimbledon 1R (1897, 1902) | Wimbledon QF (1902, 1906) Country (sports) England Role Journalist | |
Died 1924, Kensington, London, United Kingdom Books The mystic rose, Studies Of Savages And Sex, The tree of life, The idea of the soul, Skating ‑ English - Internatio | ||
Alfred Ernest Crawley (11 July 1867 or 1869 – 21 October 1924) was an English schoolmaster, sexologist, anthropologist, sports journalist and exponent of ball games.
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Tennis career
Crawley reached the quarterfinals of Wimbledon in 1902 and 1906. He also reached the quarterfinals of Queens in 1913.
Biography
Ernest Crawley was the son of Rev. Samuel Crawley, rector of Oddington, Oxfordshire, and the brother of the Olympic lawn tennis player Walter Crawley. 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. In 1906 he became headmaster of Derby School, though he resigned in December 1908 and took up journalism. In 1913 he resigned from being a clergyman under the terms of the Clerical Disabilities Act 1870.
Though lawn tennis was Crawley's favourite sport, "he was also fond of golf, figure-skating, fives, and revolver shooting". 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, The Times, and Fry's Magazine.
Crawley's most well-known anthropological book, The Mystic Rose dealt with the anthropology of marriage. He emphasised the importance of marriage ceremonies, explaining sexual and marriage custom with reference to taboo.
Crawley was a Fellow of the Royal Anthropological Institute and the Sociological Society. 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'. He died 21 October 1924 in Kensington.