Page "John Capgrave" Paragraph 1

Capgrave was born in Bishop's Lynn, now King's Lynn, Norfolk – " My cuntre is Northfolke, of the town of Lynne " ( Life of St Katharine, 16 ).

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.

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.

By 1421, he 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.

He 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.