A. D. (Augustine David) Crake

Born in Chalgrove, Oxfordshire, on October 1, 1836, Augustine David Crake grew up in a schoolkeeping family and later moved from a Calvinist background into the Church of England. While working as a teacher, he studied at the University of London, earning his B.A. in 1864.

Crake was ordained in 1865 and spent many important years at All Saints' School in Bloxham as second master and chaplain. He later served in Hampshire and on the Isle of Wight before becoming vicar of Cholsey, where he remained until his death in 1890.

Alongside his church work, he wrote devotional books, edited religious texts, and produced a long run of historical novels for younger readers. His fiction often draws on early English and church history, with titles such as Edwy the Fair, Alfgar the Dane, The Rival Heirs, The Last Abbot of Glastonbury, and The House of Walderne.