Sir Charles Wheler, 2nd Baronet ( 1620–1683) of Birdingbury, Warwickshire, was an English cavalry officer who served in the English and Spanish armies. In 1667 he was elected a Member of Parliament for the constituency of

Cambridge University The University of Cambridge is a Public university, public collegiate university, collegiate research university in Cambridge, England. Founded in 1209 and granted a royal charter by Henry III of England, Henry III in 1231, Cambridge is the world' ...

Early life

Charles Wheler was born around 1620, the only son of William Wheler, of Martin Husingtree,

Worcestershire Worcestershire ( , ; written abbreviation: Worcs) is a county in the West Midlands of England. The area that is now Worcestershire was absorbed into the unified Kingdom of England in 927, at which time it was constituted as a county (see H ...

, and Nantwich, Cheshire, and his wife Eleanor (died 1 June 1678, aged 85), daughter of Edward Polkston, of Allington, county Denbigh, and Winifred, only sister of Sir

Thomas Trevor (1586–1656) Sir Thomas Trevor (6 July 1586 – 21 December 1656) was an English lawyer, judge and Member of Parliament, most notable for having delivered the judgment against John Hampden in the Ship Money case. Biography He was the fifth and youngest son o ...

. Wheler was a student at Cambridge in 1638, and sometime Fellow of

Trinity College, Cambridge Trinity College is a constituent college of the University of Cambridge. Founded in 1546 by King Henry VIII, Trinity is one of the largest Cambridge colleges, with the largest financial endowment of any college at either Cambridge or Oxford. ...

, being ejected thence 18 April 1644. He was M.A. of that university, and was entrusted with others to carry the university plate to Charles I to help finance the Royalist cause at the start of the

English Civil War The English Civil War (1642–1651) was a series of civil wars and political machinations between Parliamentarians (" Roundheads") and Royalists led by Charles I ("Cavaliers"), mainly over the manner of England's governance and issues of re ...

Civil War and Interregnum

Wheler served as a major in a Royalist Horse (cavalry) regiment from very early in the Civil War until 1644 when he transferred to a regiment of foot in which he served until early in 1646 when he surrendered to Parliament and was allowed to go into exile. In 1656 he was commissioned into King Charles II's Guards—then a regiment in the Spanish army—as a captain, his regiment fought under Tunney at the Battle of the Dunes (1658).

Restoration

He was a

Gentleman of the Privy Chamber A privy chamber was the private apartment of a royal residence in England. The Gentlemen of the Privy Chamber were noble-born servants to the Crown who would wait and attend on the King in private, as well as during various court activities, f ...

, 1660 (probably until 1679), and apparently by then a knight. He was a captain in the 1st Foot Guards ( 1661-1672), the Duke of Richmond's Horse 1666 and Prince Rupert's Horse 1667. He was M.P. for the

University of Cambridge The University of Cambridge is a public collegiate research university in Cambridge, England. Founded in 1209 and granted a royal charter by Henry III in 1231, Cambridge is the world's third oldest surviving university and one of its most pr ...

(1667–1679) and Governor of the Leeward Islands 1671-1672). In 1678-1679 he was colonel of a regiment (which would later become the

7th Regiment of Foot 7 (seven) is the natural number following 6 and preceding 8. It is the only prime number preceding a cube. As an early prime number in the series of positive integers, the number seven has greatly symbolic associations in religion, mythology, ...

). Wheler succeeded to the Wheler baronetcy on the death of his first cousin

Sir William Wheler, 1st Baronet Sir William Wheler, 1st Baronet (''ca.'' 1611 – 6 August 1666) of the city of Westminster, was an English politician who sat in the House of Commons at various times between 1640 and 1660. He was knighted by the Lord Protector in 1657 and was m ...

on 6 August 1666, under the special clause of remainder, but to none of the grantee's estates. On the death without children on 5 February 1676, of his mother's first cousin, Sir Thomas Trevor, 1st Baronet, Sir Charles inherited his estate in

Leamington Hastings Leamington Hastings is a small village and larger civil parish in Warwickshire, England. The civil parish covers Leamington Hastings itself, plus the nearby hamlets of Broadwell, Hill and Kites Hardwick. Its population in the 2011 census was ...

, Warwickshire. He died on 26 August 1683, and was buried at Leamington Hastings, aged 64. He was succeeded by Sir William Wheler, 3rd Baronet (1654–1709 his eldest surviving son.

Family

On 7 August 1648, Charles Wheler married Dorothy (c. 1626 – 16 August 1684), daughter of Sir

Francis Bindlosse Sir Francis Bindlosse (c. 1603 – 25 July 1629) was an English politician who sat in the House of Commons in 1628. Biography Bindlosse was the eldest son of Sir Robert Bindloss of Borwick Hall, Lancaster, was educated at St John's College, ...

, of Borwick-Hall, in

Lancashire Lancashire ( , ; abbreviated Lancs) is the name of a historic county, ceremonial county, and non-metropolitan county in North West England. The boundaries of these three areas differ significantly. The non-metropolitan county of Lancash ...

, and his second wife, Cecilia, daughter of

Thomas West, 3rd Baron De La Warr Thomas West, 3rd Baron De La Warr ( ; 9 July 1577 – 7 June 1618), was an English merchant and politician, for whom the bay, the river, and, consequently, a Native American people and U.S. state, all later called "Delaware", were named. He wa ...

(died 1687). They had three sons: #Trevor, the eldest son, became a major in his father's regiment of foot, and died on 12 October 1678, within the lifetime of his father. #

William William is a male given name of Germanic origin.Hanks, Hardcastle and Hodges, ''Oxford Dictionary of First Names'', Oxford University Press, 2nd edition, , p. 276. It became very popular in the English language after the Norman conquest of Engl ...

, the surviving son and heir. he married Teresa, daughter of the Hon. Edward Widdrington (second son of William, 1st Lord Widdrington), with whom he had four sons and five daughters. #Sir

Francis Wheler Sir Francis Wheler (sometimes spelt Wheeler) (1656 – 19 February 1694) was an officer of the Royal Navy who served during the Nine Years' War. Wheler spent the early part of his career in the Mediterranean, eventually being promoted to comm ...

, became an admiral in the Royal Navy and was knighted. He married Arabella, daughter of Sir

Clifford Clifton Sir Clifford Clifton (1626 - June 1670) was an English landowner and politician who sat in the House of Commons from 1659. Early life Clifford was baptised on 22 June 1626. He was the son of Sir Gervase Clifton, 1st Baronet of Clifton-on Trent, N ...

, of Clifton, in

Nottinghamshire Nottinghamshire (; abbreviated Notts.) is a landlocked county in the East Midlands region of England, bordering South Yorkshire to the north-west, Lincolnshire to the east, Leicestershire to the south, and Derbyshire to the west. The trad ...

, with whom he had children. He drowned when his ship was wrecked on the rocks of

Scilly The Isles of Scilly (; kw, Syllan, ', or ) is an archipelago off the southwestern tip of Cornwall, England. One of the islands, St Agnes, is the most southerly point in Britain, being over further south than the most southerly point of th ...

. and two daughters: #Cicely, the wife of —— Blount, of ——, in

Shropshire Shropshire (; alternatively Salop; abbreviated in print only as Shrops; demonym Salopian ) is a landlocked historic county in the West Midlands region of England. It is bordered by Wales to the west and the English counties of Cheshire to ...

. #Dorothy-Elizabeth, who was a

maid of honour A maid of honour is a junior attendant of a queen in royal households. The position was and is junior to the lady-in-waiting. The equivalent title and office has historically been used in most European royal courts. Role Traditionally, a queen ...

to Queen

Catherine Katherine, also spelled Catherine, and other variations are feminine names. They are popular in Christian countries because of their derivation from the name of one of the first Christian saints, Catherine of Alexandria. In the early Christ ...

, and married the Count of Nassau. cites

Notes

References