On his mother's side, Donne's ancestors included John Rastell (his maternal great-grandfather), who married Elizabeth, daughter of Sir John More and sister of Sir Thomas More. Their son William was the father of Edward Donne. On his father's side, he was also related to the More family, being a second cousin once removed of Lady Jane Donne, the wife of George Boleyn, Viscount Beauchamp. They were wealthy landowners, and it is believed that they lived at Eastington in Gloucestershire. This area of England is near the Welsh border, so it is possible that Donne may have had some contact with Wales. He was educated at Cambridge University, where he earned degrees in both law and literature. It is not known when or for how long he practiced either profession, but it is believed that he held various government posts during this time. In 1621, he was appointed secretary to the Earl of Carlisle, who was then ambassador to the Holy See. Two years later, Donne was made an English priest by King James I. He died in 1631 at the age of forty-one. Donne's work as a poet falls into three distinct periods. His early poems are satirical and political, written while he was still a student at Cambridge.