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How was Thomas Becket educated before entering church service?
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St. Thomas Becket
Murder of St. Thomas Becket, illustration from an English psalter, c. 1200; in the British Library.
Before entering church service, Thomas Becket received a well-rounded education in several locations. He was first educated at the Augustinian Merton Priory, followed by schooling in London, and finally in Paris.1
After beginning his adult life as a clerk and accountant, he joined the household of Archbishop Theobald. Under Theobaldās patronage, Becket was further sent to study civil and canon law at Bologna and Auxerre. While contemporaries noted he was not a scholar by nature, he possessed a tenacious memory and excelled in argument and repartee.1