thumb|St Andrew's Church, [[Epworth, Lincolnshire, in which churchyard Samuel Wesley is buried]]
Samuel Wesley (17 December 1662 – 25 April 1735) was a clergyman of the Church of England, a poet, and a writer. He was the father of John Wesley and Charles Wesley, the founders of Methodism.
Family and early life
thumb|Interior of St Andrew, Epworth: the Wesley Family Tree
Samuel Wesley was the second son of Rev. John Westley or Wesley, rector of Winterborne Whitechurch, Dorset. His mother was the daughter of John White, the rector of Trinity Church, Dorchester.
Following grammar school education in Dorchester, Wesley was sent away from home to prepare for ministerial training under Theophilus Gale. Gale's death in 1678 forestalled this plan. Instead, he attended another grammar school.