Quick Facts
Biography
William Rugg (also Rugge, Repps, Reppes; died 1550) was an English Benedictine theologian, and bishop of Norwich from 1536 to 1549.
Life
He was born in Northrepps, Norfolk.
He was a Doctor of Divinity of Gonville Hall, Cambridge in 1513. The Carthusian Thomas Spencer (died 1529) wrote A Trialogus between Thomas Bilney, Hugh Latimer and William Repps, in which Rugg appears to balance two reformers.
He became Abbot of St Benet's Abbey in 1530. He retained the abbey in commendam on being appointed bishop of Norwich; the community there was suppressed in 1539.
He was one of the authors of The Bishops' Book of 1537. A theological conservative, he was one of the group trying, without success, to have the Book include material defending pilgrimages. He disputed publicly with Robert Watson, an early evangelical Protestant, in 1539, on the topic of free will.
Resignation
He resigned his diocese in 1549. Reasons given are financial problems, and royal anger at his sloth in opposing Kett's Rebellion (which may have amounted to sympathy). Gilbert Burnet claimed that the see was needed as place to move Thomas Thirlby, bishop of Westminster, so that Nicholas Ridley could be translated from Rochester, to become bishop of London. Rugge had in fact long been a thorn in Thomas Cranmer's flesh, and after Kett was put down he was eased out in disgrace, but pardoned and pensioned off.