 After early schooling in Kent, Parker attended Trinity College, Oxford, but left after several years, c. 1700, without taking a degree, evidently because he was unwilling to take the oath of allegiance, which was required of all who stood for degrees.Parker joined in the nonjuring schism and worshiped separately until 1711.He was, however, persuaded by his friend Henry Dodwell's argument, in "The Case in View", that the schism would end with the death of the last invalidly deprived bishop who continued to insist on his right, and he therefore returned to his parish church—St Peter in the East, Oxford—after the death of William Lloyd (bishop of Norwich).