His parents intended him for a life in the church, and had him privately educated by 'pious families'; in 1631, he entered Wadham College, Oxford, where he earned two degrees, graduating in 1638. He reacted against his Puritan upbringing by supporting reforms to the Church of England made by Archbishop Laud. Ordained in 1639, he was appointed rector in the Devon village of Rampisham; provided with a private income from his father, he spent his stipend from this position on his parishioners. In May 1641, he was made a Prebendary of Exeter Cathedral.
