Pagula was made the perpetual vicar of the church at Winkfield on 5 March 1314, although he was absent from his parish for several years while pursuing a doctorate in Canon Law from the University of Oxford.
After this was granted (probably around 1320) he returned to work with his parish, and his writings are written from the perspective of someone familiar with the job of a rural priest.
He has also been linked to two specula principum addressed to Edward III, which defend the right of royal subjects to refuse purveyance.
Pagula was probably born near Paull in Yorkshire, and after being confirmed as the parish priest of Winkfield on 5 March 1314 he was ordained on 1 June by Walter Reynolds at Canterbury Cathedral.
[2] The first book deals with sources of authority such as judges, the second with legal procedure, the third with the clergy, the fourth with marriage and the fifth with criminal offences.