Sir Raymond Henry Payne Crawfurd was educated at Winchester College and New College, Oxford, where he graduated in Classics in 1888. He then pursued medical studies at King’s College, London, excelling as the top student of his year and earning both Junior and Senior scholarships. After obtaining his BM, BCh degrees in 1894, he held resident posts at King’s College Hospital and served as an assistant physician at the Victoria Hospital for Children.
In 1896, Crawfurd was elected assistant physician at the Royal Free Hospital, where he later became a full physician before resigning in 1908. He lectured on pathology at the hospital and on materia medica at the London School of Medicine for Women. However, he is most notably associated with King’s College Hospital, where he was appointed assistant physician in 1898, physician in 1905, and consulting physician in 1930. He also served as a lecturer in materia medica and clinical medicine, and from 1900 to 1904, as dean of the medical department. Crawfurd played a key role in relocating the hospital to Denmark Hill and securing its future prosperity. His contributions were formally recognised in 1933 when he was knighted upon the completion of the new Medical School.
Upon his retirement in 1936, Epsom College honored Crawfurd’s legacy by opening a new day boys’ House in his name. The House motto, Durum Patientia Frango (I overcome difficulty by patience) is taken directly from the Crawfurd family, as is the crest – the hooded hawk. Crawfurd House transitioned from day boys to boarding girls in 2003, moving to The Terrace, where it continues today.
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