Charles Wesley

Gareth Lloyd (University of Manchester)
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Charles Wesley was born on 18 December 1707 in the Anglican rectory of Epworth in Lincolnshire, the third surviving son and nineteenth child of the clergyman and poet Samuel Wesley (1662-1735), who went to school with Daniel Defoe, and his wife Susanna (née Annesley; 1669-1742) who was the youngest daughter of Dr. Samuel Annesley, the prominent dissenting minister. Charles’ older brothers were the minor poet and educator Samuel Wesley junior (1690-1739) and John Wesley (1703–1791), the principal founder of Methodism.

During his early years, Charles was schooled at home where he was subjected to his mother’s strict and unconventional educational methods. She taught her children to read and write with such conspicuous success that her daughter Mehetabel was able to read Greek by the

2889 words

Citation: Lloyd, Gareth. "Charles Wesley". The Literary Encyclopedia. First published 18 March 2010 [https://www.litencyc.com/php/speople.php?rec=true&UID=4664, accessed 19 March 2024.]

4664 Charles Wesley 1 Historical context notes are intended to give basic and preliminary information on a topic. In some cases they will be expanded into longer entries as the Literary Encyclopedia evolves.

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