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A Biographical History of the Wesley Family : More Particularly Its Earlier BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY THE WESLEY FAMILY; MORE PARTICULARLY ITS EARLIER BRANCHES. JOHN DOVE. Such a I have never read heard or nor family of, of, known ; since the days of ABRAHAM and SARAH, and JOSEPH and MARY of Nazareth, hat there ever been a family to which the human race has been more indebted. DR. ADAM CLARKE. LONDON: SIMPKIN & MARSHALL, STATIONERS HALL COURT; AND HENRY SPINK, LEEDS. 1833. PR EFACE The eventful and important Life of the venerable Founder of Arminian Methodism has been fre laid before the Public but there is reason quently ; to believe that the history of his Paternal and Maternal ANCESTORS is only partially known, even amongst the members of the Methodist So ciety. The late DR. ADAM CLARKE, published in " of the in 1822, Memoirs Wesley Family" a large octavo volume, but which, on account of the introduction of a vast quantity of extraneous and unnecessary matter, is not well adapted for general circulation. The Price also prevented many from purchasing it. On these grounds the Compiler of the following Work is of opinion, that a condensed, and well arranged Memoir of the Wesley Family, at a moderate price, and written "with special refer ence to general readers," was still wanting. This conviction led him to prepare the present Work, iv PREFACE. which he hopes contains all that is really in teresting in Dr. Clarke s publication, together with a considerable quantity of new matter, collected from a great variety of sources. It has been his endeavour to free the narrative from all those details "which are comparatively uninteresting beyond the immediate circle of Wesleyan Methodism," and to adapt it to the perusal of the Public at large. This volume being designed as introductory to MR. WATSON S excellent Life of the Founder of Methodism, the Lives of MESSRS. JOHN and CHARLES WESLEY are not given; as all that is interesting to the general reader, respecting those eminent Ministers, is furnished with great judgment and propriety by Mr. Watson, in his Publication. December 24, 1832. CONTENTS. CHAP. I. INTRODUCTION. The Origin of the Wesley Family. The orthography of the name. Mr. Wesley s Ancestors Non-conformists. The Act of Uniformity. Archbishop Sheldon s intolerance. The noble con duct of the ejected Ministers. The Conventicle Act. The Corporation Act. The Test Act. Sufferings of the Non conformists.... .. 1 15 CHAP. II. BARTHOLOMEW WESLEY. Ejected from Charmouth, Dorset. Practices as a Physician. Affected by the death of his son. Anthony Wood s notice of him. Bishop Burnet s character of Wood 15 19 CHAP. III. JOHN WESLEY, VICAR OF WHITCHURCH. Sent to Oxford university, where he obtains the confidence of Dr. Owen. Settles at Whitchurch, in Dorsetshire, and marries. His interview with Bishop Ironside. Mr. Wesley committed to prison for not reading the Book of Common Prayer. His trial and answers to the judge. Wishes to visit South America as a Missionary. His further sufferings in the cause of Non-conformity. His death and character. His widow 19 32 VI CONTENTS. CHAP. IV. DR. SAMUEL ANNESLEY. His birth and relationship. His early piety. Sent to the university of Oxford. Settles at Cliffe, in Kent. Preaches before the House of Commons. Promoted to St. Paul s and St Giles s Cripplegate. Ejected by the Act of Uniformity. Becomes pastor of a church in Little St. Helen s. Has the chief management of the Morning Lecture. Daniel de Foe and John Dunton attend his ministry. Their account of Dr. Annesley. His temperance. His death. His character by Dr. Williams, Baxter, and Calamy. His works 32 43 CHAP. V. DR. ANNESLEY S CHILDREN. SAMUEL ANNESLEY JUN. Goes to the East Indies. Acquires a large fortune, but is suddenly cut off. Mrs. Wesley s letter to him. His widow s bequest to the Wesley family. Miss ELIZABETH ANNESLEY. Marries John Dunton, the celebrated bookseller. Their strong attachment to each other. Her death and character. Miss JUDITH ANNESLEY. Her personal appear ance and piety. Miss ANNE ANNESLEY. Her character by Dunton. Miss SUSANNA ANNESLEY 43 66 CHAP. VI. MATTHEW WESLEY. Studies medicine. Visits his brother at Epworth. Mrs. Wesley s account of that visit. Matthew s mean-spirited letter to his brother. The Rector s reply. Mrs. Wright s verses to the memory of her uncle. 66 80 CONTENTS. Vll CHAP. VII. SAMUEL WESLEY, RECTOR OF EPWORTH. Educated in a Dissenting academy. Goes to the university of Oxford. His reasons for leaving the Dissenters. Writes against their Academies. Marries Dr. Annesley s youngest daughter. Solicited to favour Popery by the friends of James II. Writes in favour of the Revolution of 1688. Presented to the Rectory of Epworth. Mrs. Wesley and her husband differ as to the title of William III. The Rector proposed for an Irish bishoprick. Archbishop Sharp a kind friend to him. His letters to the Archbishop. The Parsonage-house destroyed by fire. Mrs- Wesley s account of that calamity. Strange Phenomena in the Parsonage-house after it was rebuilt. Dr. Priestley s opinion of these disturbances. Mr. Wesley s Dissertations on the book of Job. This book presented to the Queen by his son John. The Rector s death, as detailed by his son Charles. His character. Anecdotes respecting him. His works 80 152 CHAP. VIII. MRS. SUSANNA WESLEY. Becomes the wife of Mr. Samuel Wesley. Her numerous family, and excellent management. Her mode of educating the children. Her religious character. When her husband was from home, she publicly read sermons at the Parsonage-house. Is censured for this exercise. Her admirable defence of it to her husband. The conduct of the Epworth curate in this matter. Her excellent letters to her son John. Unworthy reflections upon her religious experience. Is visited by Mr. Whitfield. Her death, character, and epitaph 152 179 CHAP. IX. SAMUEL WESLEY, JUN. Sent to Westminster school. Mrs. Wesley s excellent letter to him. Noticed by Bishop Sprat. Removes to Christ Church. Vlll CONTENTS. Oxford. Appointed one of the Ushers in Westminster school. His intimacy with Bishop Atterbury. His Epigrams against Sir Robert Walpole. Accepts the Mastership of Tiverton school, Devonshire. His letter to his mother on her countenancing the Methodists. Publishes a volume of Poems. Intimate with Lord Oxford and Mr. Pope. Their letters to him,. His death, cha racter, and epitaph 179 220 CHAP. X. THE RECTOR OF EPWORTH S DAUGHTERS. Miss EMILIA WESLEY. Marries Mr. Harper, Her letter to her brother John. Her character by Mrs. Wright. Her death. Miss MARY WESLEY. Marries Mr. Whitelamb. Her character and epitaph by Mrs. Wright. Miss ANNE WESLEY. Marries Mr. Lambert. Verses on her marriage by her brother Samuel. Miss SUSANNA WESLEY Marries Mr. Ellison. This union proves unhappy. Account of their children. MR. JOHN WESLEY. Baptized John Benjamin. Miss MEHETABEL WESLEY Marries Mr. Wright. Possesses a fine poetic talent. Her marriage unhappy. Addresses some lines to her husband. Also to her dying infant, &c. Her death. Miss MARTHA WESLEY A favourite with her mother. Marries Mr. Hall, who also addres ses her sister Ke/zia. Charles Wesley s severe verses to Martha. Dr. Clarke s vindication of Mrs. Hall. Mr. John Wesley s opinion of Hall. His licentious conduct. Mrs. Hall s behaviour under this affliction. Her acquaintance with Dr. Samuel Johnson. -Her death. MR. CHARLES WESLEY Anecdote respecting him. Miss KEZZIA WESLEY Her letter to her brother John. Her death 220-268 APPENDIX. A. On the Doctrine of Passive Obedience. B. Biographical Sketch of John Dunton. C. The History of the Calves -head Club. D. Disturbances in the Parsonage-house, at Epworth. BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY THE WESLEY FAMILY. INTRODUCTION. CHAP. I. THE ORIGIN OF THE WESLEY FAMILY. THE ORTHOGRAPHY OF THE NAME. MR. WESLEY S ANCESTORS NON-CONFORMISTS. THE ACT OF UNIFORMITY. ARCHBISHOP SHELDON S INTOLER ANCE. THE NOBLE CONDUCT OF THE EJECTED MINISTERS. THE CONVENTICLE ACT. THE CORPORATION ACT. THE TEST ACT. SUFFERINGS OF THE NON-CONFORMISTS. Of the Wesley Family little is known previously to the seventeenth century. Some persons have given the family a Spanish origin. The Wesleys themselves believed they came originally from Saxony, and that a branch of the paternal tree was planted in Ireland. DR. ADAM CLARKE states that he met with a family in the county of Antrim called Posley or Postlcy, who said that their name was originally Wesley, but which had been corrupted by a provincial pronunciation of P. for W. As to the orthography of the name, it appears by the autographs of all the family, from the rector of Epworth down to the present time, to have been written Wesley. When Samuel Wesley, sen. entered at Oxford, he signed B 2 INTRODUCTION. said Wesdey, but afterwards dropped the t, which he was restoring the name to its original orthography. That some of the remote branches of the Wesley family had been in the Crusades, or went on a pilgrimage to the Holy Land, may be inferred from their bearing the escallop shell in their arms. The ANCESTORS of Mr. John Wesley, both in the paternal and maternal line, were strict and conscientious Non-conformists. They suffered great persecution during the reign of the Stuarts, and especially in that of Charles II. As the acts then passed for the restriction of religious liberty, had a most important influence on the circumstances and situation of the grandfathers, and great grandfather of the founder of Methodism, it may not be thought irrelevant, previous ly to entering on the personal history of the family, to give a brief account of these enactments, and also to point out their intolerant nature, and the effects they produced on the nation.
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