08/15/2026
We know you've heard of John Wesley. And if you're a real Methonerd, you may have heard of Mary Bosanquet. But do you know who John William Fletcher is and how this French-Swiss born theologian is connected to both Wesley and Bosanquet?
Fletcher was born Jean Guillaume de la Flechére on Sept. 12, 1729, and died on this date (Aug. 14) in 1785. He immigrated to England from Switzerland after distinguishing himself as a scholar and a soldier. Once in England, he met and began learning from Wesley. He was ordained in the Church of England (1757), and, declining more noteworthy and prosperous livings, for 25 years served as the vicar of the small village of Madeley in Shropshire. Within that tiny area he found ample opportunity for extensive pastoral work, for a preaching ministry that produced results far beyond the village, for theological contemplation, for dispute and writing, and for the practice of piety that reflected a strong mystical bent. He worked zealously among the colliers and planted several Sunday schools for boys and girls.
A vigorous supporter of Wesley and his methods, Fletcher used his keen talents as a theologian to defend Wesleyan Arminianism against Calvinism in his famous "Checks to Antinomianism," one of the most widely read works among early American Methodists. Fletcher and Wesley were so close that Wesley chose him to succeed him as leader of the Methodist movement, an honor Fletcher declined.
The last four years of his life, he was married to Bosanquet, who was well-known in England for both her preaching and charitable works. In fact, Bosanquet is credited with persuading Wesley to allow women to preach in public.
Of Fletcher, Wesley wrote “So unblamable a man, in every respect, I have not found either in Europe or America. Nor do I expect to find another such on this side of eternity.” (From an essay titled “A Short Account of the Life and Death of the Rev. John Fletcher."
