Though educated among Dissenters, Samuel Wesley converted himself to the truth as it is in the Church of England, became a "poor scholar" of Exeter College in Oxford, supported himself mainly by hack-work in literature (he was one of the editors of a penny paper called The Athenian Mercury, a sort of Answers), married Miss Susanna Annesley, a lady of good family, in 1690-91, and in 1693 was presented to the Rectory of Epworth in Lincolnshire by Mary, wife of William of Orange, to whom he had dedicated a poem on the life of Christ.

The living was poor, Mr.
Wesley's family multiplied with amazing velocity, he was in debt, and unpopular.

His cattle were maimed in 1705, and in 1703 his house was burned down.

The Rectory House, of which a picture is given in Clarke's Memoirs of the Wesleys, 1825, was built anew at his own expense.

Mr.Wesley was in politics a strong Royalist, but having seen James II.