(1779 – 1862)
In 1810, Elizabeth married Dr James Crichton, a doctor who was said to have made his fortune both as a physician and as a trader in the East India Company, with the odd speculation about his dealings in the opium trade. Naturally Elizabeth has always denied this, insisting his riches originated from an honest trade. Regardless, upon his death in 1823, he left £100,000 to her for charitable purposes, and, once the courts deemed her the rightful benefactor after the will was contested by her brother in law, she set about trying to establish a college in Dumfries. This too ran into opposition, largely from the four established Scottish universities, but, with a change of government also not keen, the plan was thwarted and she turned all her efforts in establishing a ‘lunatic asylum’ a term in those days being perfectly acceptable.
Elizabeth didn’t do things by halves. Once the education plan was dead in the water she threw all her weight to making the hospital a reality and despite opposition from local newspaper the Dumfries Times in 1834 (who knows what the Daily Mail would have made of it) she head hunted Dr William Browne to run the place. Browne came from a stance of ‘moral treatment’ for patients, advocating kindness and care. His aim for patients to have extensive hospital grounds and rooms for music, arts and activities was at the time pioneering and probably absurd when normal mental health institutions of the day ran a prison like system.
The Crichton Hospital opened its doors in 1839 and ran for some 150 years, renowned for its enlightened treatment and upmost care of its patients. Elizabeth remained closely involved with the running of the hospital throughout her life.
By the 1980’s, the ‘value’ of the institution was questioned (let’s not get too political here) and in 1995 the local authority bought the site from the Health Board to protect the buildings and grounds as an important public asset to be protected. From there, the proposal for a University Campus was devised and in 1999 the first cohort of students started their courses as part of the University of the West of Scotland, thus fulfilling Elizabeth’s dream, some 170 years later. Careful what you wish for. The following year Elizabeth had her statue unveiled on the campus.
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