A. D. (Augustine David) Crake

Born in Chalgrove, Oxfordshire, on October 1, 1836, he was an English cleric, schoolmaster, and author. Reference works agree that he wrote both devotional books and historical fiction, especially stories for younger readers, and that his work was often noted alongside that of John Mason Neale.

His background in religious teaching shaped much of what he wrote. After leaving the Calvinist setting of his childhood and entering the Church of England, he built a career in education and authorship, using fiction as a way to make church history and the medieval past feel immediate and readable.

Among the books most associated with him are historical novels such as Aemilius, The House of Walderne, Edwy the Fair, and the other Chronicles of Aescendune stories. He died in 1890, leaving behind a body of work that mixes moral seriousness with lively storytelling.