After attending Reading school he entered St John's College, Oxford, in 1606, and acquired a reputation both as an orator and disputant.
with the support of Archbishop William Laud, he was appointated precentor of St David's on 21 May 1631 (Le Neve, Fasti, ed.
When the civil war broke out he lost all his preferments, and retired to South Stoke, but afterwards to Oxford, where he remained until its surrender.
According to his will dated 22 Aug 1659, he allotted funds to the church of South Stoke, some specified to buy land for the poor of that town[citation needed].
He also donated funds to purchase free land of socage for the maintenance of a schoolmaster there, which was to be managed by the warden and fellows of Merton College, who were appointed patrons of the school to be erected at South Stoke.
He left funds for the purchase of divinity books for the Bodleian Library, St. Merton's and St. John's College.
Higgs likewise gave money to found a divinity lecture at Merton College and an annual sum to augment the allowance of the postmasters.
Upon his death, Higgs donated £1,500 to Merton College, stipulating that £10 was earmarked as librarian's annual stipend.
While it was not uncommon for an educated man of his position to donate a collection to a library, his endowment of a librarianship is unique.
Bound up with it is another manuscript by Higgs, entitled 'A True and Faithfull Relation of the Risinge and Fall of Thomas Tucker, Prince of Alba Fortunata, Lord of St. John's, with all the Occurrents which happened throughout his whole Domination,' an account of the mock ceremonie on choosing a lord of misrule at Christmas.
Of this narration 250 copies were printed in 1816 by Philip Bliss, under the title 'An account of the Christmas prince: as it was exhibited in the University of Oxford in 1607,' London.