John Capgrave was an English historian, hagiographer and scholastic theologian.
Background
John Capgrave was born on the 21st of April in Norwich, Norfolk, United Kingdom. His parents are unknown but he may have been the nephew of a namesake who obtained a doctorate of theology at Oxford in 1390 and was also an Augustinian friar.
Education
John Capgrave the younger joined the order at Lynn in about 1410 and was ordained in 1416 or 1417. He then studied theology at the order's school in London.
Career
By 1421, John Capgrave was already a lector, qualified to teach at all but one of the order's levels of schooling. He was then sent by the prior-general to do further studies in Cambridge, where he delivered his examinatory sermon in Latin in 1422.
John Capgrave later wrote an English version of this as his treatise on the twelve orders that follow the rule of St Augustine. His progress from ordination to the degree of master of theology is said to have been the fastest on record.