ormist religious communities, the
Wesleyan, Congregational, Primitive Methodist, Baptist, and New Church or
Swedenborgian, each now having substantially built chapels, resident
ministers, with Sunday, and, in one case, Day Schools. Through the
courtesy of the Rev. John Percy, late Head Minister of the Wesleyan
Society, we are enabled to give a fairly full account of its origin and
growth, down to the present 20th century. As this is the most important
religious body in the town, next to the Church of England, although it is
not the oldest, we take the Wesleyans first. As will be seen in the
following account, this Society arose from a very small beginning, but at
the present time, with perhaps the exception of the Baptists, it is the
most numerous and influential body among Nonconformists. Although,
locally, rather fewer in numbers in recent years, than formerly, it is
generally growing, and in the year 1904, as published statistics show, it
acquired in the United Kingdom an addition of 10,705 full members, with
11,874 members on trial, and junior members 4,367; a total increase of
26,946.

THE WESLEYANS.

The founder of this Society was, as its name implies, John Wesley,
probably of the same stock as the great Duke of Wellington, whose family
name was variously written Wellesley, or Wesley. {64} We take the
immediately following particulars mainly from the _History of England_,
by Henry Walter, B.D. and F.R.S., Fellow of St. John's College,
Cambridge, Professor in the East India College, Hertford, Chaplain to the
Duke of Northumberland, &c., &c., himself a Lincolnshire man.

John and Charles Wesley were the second and third sons of Samuel Wesley,
Rector of Epworth, near Gainsborough; {65} John being born in 1703 (June
17), and Charles in 1708 (Dec. 18). John was educated at the
Charterhouse, and Charles at Westminster School. In due course they both
entered at Oxford University; John eventually being elected to a
Fellowship at Lincoln College, and Charles to a Studentship at
Christchurch. In 1725 John was ordained deacon of the Church of England.
He left Oxford for a time to act as his father's curate, Charles remained
as Tutor to his college. He, with some of his undergraduate pupils,
formed a custom of meeting on certain evenings every week for scripture
study and devotion, they carefully observed the Church's fasts and
festivals, and partook of the Holy Communion every Sunday. From the
strict regul