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 Rugge 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==