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Overview
Biographical Note
Scope and Content
Arrangement
Preferred Citation
Restrictions on Access
Restrictions on Use
Subject Terms
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| Record Creator: | Fletcher, John William |
| Title: | Papers of Mary and John William Fletcher |
| Dates: | 1760- 1815 |
| Abstract: | John William Fletcher (1729-1785) Anglican priest, author and John Wesley's designated successor as moderator-elect of British Methodism. Mary Bosanquet Fletcher (1739-1815) was a British philanthropist, class leader, preacher, and diarist. This collection contains the Mary Bosanquet Fletcher and John William Fletcher Papers. |
| Extent: | 0.45 cu. feet |
| Resource ID: | drew.ms.1521 |
John William Fletcher (1729-1785) was John Wesley's designated successor as moderator-elect of British Methodism. Born in Switzerland, he immigrated to England in 1752 and joined a Methodist society. He took orders in the Church of England in 1757, and was ordained a deacon and an elder.
In 1760, Fletcher became a vicar of Madeley, Shropshire, where he continued to minister until his death. From 1768 to 1771, he served as president in absentia at the Countess of Huntingdon's college at Trevecka.
Fletcher's series of publications defending Wesley's theology collectively called Checks to Antinomianism (1771-1775) are considered a major development in Wesley's Arminian theology.
Fletcher married Mary Bosanquet (1739-1815) on November 12, 1781. She was a British philanthropist, class leader, preacher, and diarist. At Hoxton Square in 1762 , she was active in benevolent work, and, with the aid of Sarah Ryan organized an orphanage. A year later she moved to Leytonstone and established another orphanage and school. She also began holding public worship services.
In 1771, Bosanquet wrote to John Wesley defending women as preachers, and by 1773 she had become one of the first women to preach using sermon text. After her marriage to Fletcher, she moved to Madelely with him. After her husband's death she continued to carry on religious work in their neighborhood.
This collection contains the Mary Bosanquet Fletcher and John William Fletcher Papers. A 1764 Bible which belonged to John Fletcher is included. Correspondence written by John Fletcher consists of five letters, including a 1760 letter to John Wesley. The remaining letters are dated 1772-1782. All are originals except the 1760 Wesley letter, which is a photocopy. Notations for three undated sermons prepared by John Fletcher are part of these papers. A small manuscript written by John Fletcher in July 1761 is also included. It is forty-eight pages long, and was written as a letter. Items in this collection related to Mary Bosanquet Fletcher include correspondence and a will. There are fourteen letters to a variety of individuals, including the July 1771 letter to John Wesley regarding women serving as preachers. His reply is also part of this correspondence. The inclusive dates on the remaining letters are 1766- 1808. All of these letters have been hand copied from the originals. An original will prepared by Mary Bosanquet Fletcher on May 4, 1815, is also contained in these papers. One folder contains a few unrelated items including two letters, an article on Mary Fletcher's letter to Wesley, and some material on an exhibit celebrating the two hundredth anniversary of John Fletcher's death. This exhibit was presented at the United Methodist Archives and History Center on the campus of Drew University in September 1985.
Materials have been arranged in the following manner.
Items in the Papers of John and Mary Fletcher papers have been arranged chronologically when possible.
When citing material from this collection please use the following format: Direct reference to the item or its file folder, Papers of Mary and John William Fletcher, Methodist Collection - Drew University, Madison, New Jersey. Do not make use of the item's call number as that is not a stable descriptor.
There are no restrictions regarding this collection.
Detailed use restrictions relating to our collections can be requested from the office of the archivist at the General Commission on Archives and History. Photocopying is handled by the staff and may be limited in certain instances. Before using any material for publication from this collection a formal request for permission to publish is expected and required.
| Call Number | Folder Title | Date(s) |
| 1306-5-3: 1 | John Fletcher's Correspondence | 1760-1782 |
| 1306-5-3: 2 | John Fletcher's sermon notes | Undated |
| 1306-5-3: 3 | John Fletcher's mini manuscript | Undated |
| 1306-5-3: 4 | Mary Fletcher's correspondence | 1766-1808 |
| 1306-5-3: 5 | Mary Fletcher's will | 1815 |
| 1306-5-3: 6 | Miscellaneous correspondence, article, exhibit materials | Undated |
| 1306-5-3: 7 | John Fletcher's Bible | Undated |
