John Wesley attended Oxford, entering in 1720. He eventually began leading a group his brother Charles had organized. The small groups regular meetings earned them nicknames such as Bible Moths and Methodists.
Wesley was educated at Charterhouse School in London and was nominated by his schoolmaster for an exhibition to Christ Church, Oxford to which he was admitted as a commoner in 1720. He studied classics and logic and very much enjoyed ‘Oxford Life’ frequenting coffee houses, playing cards and making excursions up the river. It was at Oxford that he started to keep a diary, an old red note book in which he would sometimes write in code (only accurately and fully deciphered in 1972).
After completing his BA, Wesley followed the traditions of his family by taking Holy Orders and was made a deacon in Christ Church Cathedral in September 1725. Three years later he was ordained.
In 1726 a vacancy became available for a Fellowship at Lincoln College, which at that time was open only to those born in the diocese of Lincoln. Wesley’s father had connections with Dr Morley, Rector of Lincoln College, and after being examined in Homer and Horace he was duly elected to a fellowship on March 25th.
http://www.linc.ox.ac.uk/Famous-AlumniJohn-Wesley-1703—1791
Looking forward to visiting Oxford in July.
johnwesleyblog 