1885.] 



THE WESLEY ASH TREE. 



369 



THE WESLEY ASH TREE. 



CLOSE by the old Church of St. Thomas at Winchelsea, now 

 in ruins, with its curiously-sculptured heads of Edward I. 

 and II., and accompanying ruined Chapel of the Alrgin, stands this 

 tree, under which John Wesley preached his last open-air sermon. 

 He thus wrote in his journal : " I went over to that poor skeleton 

 of ancient Winchelsea ; it is beautifully situated on the top of a 



steep hill. ... I stood under a large tree, . . . and called to- 

 most of the inhabitants, ' The kingdom of heaven is at hand.' " In 

 this neighbourhood the records of historic incidents, of very varied 

 age and nature, curiously commingle. The memorials of the great 

 naval victories of Edward I. and III. are adjacent to this arboreal 

 sign-post of one of the greatest evangehstic movements of last 

 century. Eich Wesleyans, at least, might combine to prevent its 

 iintimely destruction through neglect. 



2 A 



