He is known to have rejected a clerical life in favour of monasticism, entering the Premonstratensian house of Dryburgh Abbey as a young man and becoming a priest there in 1165 at the age of twenty-five.
In this, he was following in the footsteps of Abbot Roger, the first head of Dryburgh Abbey, who had retired to Val St Pierre in 1177.
After consulting with this senior Carthusian figure and future saint, Adam joined Hugh's old priory at Witham, Somerset.
The Premonstratensians did not give up trying to get him back, however, and it was only after the intervention from Bishop Hugh that a letter of release was issued to Adam.
Known for strict moral conduct, he is said to have been of medium height and was noted for his cheerfulness, his skill as a preacher and his good memory.