Wesley manuscripts and selected Wesleyana

This collection contains images of holographic letters from John Wesley, Charles Wesley, and other members of their immediate families to various individuals, and of memorabilia of Wesley and the Methodist movement, including portraits, prints, and ceramics.

Nearly all the manuscript letters in this collection consist of a single sheet of paper. This sheet was typically folded to provide several pages for writing. When the letter was completed, it was refolded with a blank page outward, sealed with wax and addressed on the outside. (For a detailed description of how Wesley folded, sealed and addressed his letters, see: Wesley, John. Letters I: 1721-1739 / edited by Frank Baker. The Oxford Edition of the Works of John Wesley; v. 25. New York: Oxford University Press, 1980. p. 68-76) The condition of the manuscripts varies, but most are well preserved. Some are missing part of the original sheet, sometimes including the portion that contained the address. In a few, part of the text itself is missing.

The manuscripts are digitized unfolded. The orientation of the greeting or salutation determines the top, and the side containing the greeting or salutation is treated as the recto of the item.