Scholars have historically associated John Wesley’s educational endeavours with the boarding school he established at Kingswood, near Bristol, in 1746, primarily because of the importance he himself placed on it. Nevertheless, his educational endeavors extended well beyond this single institution, since they were based not just on a desire for academic advancement, but were motivated by individualistic, familial and evangelical considerations. By examining all aspects of his work, this book sets out Wesley’s thinking and practice concerning child-rearing and education, particularly in relation to gender and class, in its broader eighteenth-century social and cultural context.
Drawing on writings from Churchmen, Dissenters, economists, philosophers and reformers as well as educationalists, this study demonstrates that the political, religious and ideological backdrop to Wesley’s work was neither static nor consistent. It also highlights Wesley’s eighteenth-century fellow Evangelicals including Lady Huntingdon, John Fletcher, Hannah More and Robert Raikes to demonstrate whether Wesley’s thinking and practice around schooling was in any way unique.
This study sheds light on the attitude of Wesley and his contemporaries to children, child-rearing, piety and education and demonstrates how Wesley’s attitude to education was influencing and influenced by the society in which he lived and worked. As such, it will not only be useful to academics with an interest in Methodism, but to those interested in broader aspects of eighteenth-century education and schooling, as well as those concerned with attitudes towards children, gender, class, and religiosity.
Dr Linda Ryan was a PhD student in the Oxford Centre for Methodism and Church History and is currently writing an article on teleology and Wesley’s views on childhood.
Westminster Oxford Research Network 