There have been two baronetcies created for persons with the surname Wheler, one in the Baronetage of England and one in the Baronetage of the United Kingdom. One creation is extant as of 2008.
The Wheler Baronetcy, of the City of Westminster in the County of London, was created in the Baronetage of England on for William Wheler, Member of Parliament for Westbury and Queenborough, with remainder to his cousin Charles Wheler.
The Wheler Baronetcy, of Otterden in the County of Kent, was created in the Baronetage of the United Kingdom on for Granville Charles Hastings Wheler, Member of Parliament for Faversham. The title became extinct on his death two years later (.
Charles Lyttelton, a former Lord Bishop of Carlisle, and from an old Worcestershire family, said that the Whelers were seated in Worcestershire as early as Edward II. and bore coat armour.
In a manuscript volume in the possession of Hanbury, Esq. of Kilmash, Northamptonshire, entitled, Worcestershire Collected, by Sir William Dethick, Knt. Garter King of Arms, 1569, since enlarged by others.
George Wheler, of Martin, in Worcestershire; Chester, 1585. | Quarterly, first and fourth, or, a cheveron between three leopards faces of the second. | |
Di Pirie. | Second, argent, a bend sable, chased with three pears, or. | |
Third, argent, on a cheveron engrailed, sable, three buckles azure, as many martlets, or. |
Old arms of Wheler; for, in the east window of the chancel of Martin Hussingtree, in Worcestershire, these arms are quarterly:
Nash, in his Collections for the history of Worcestershire, says, that William Wheler presented to the living of Martin, jure Johanne uxoris sue sororis Thome Pyrye defuncti. Be that as it may, William Wheler, with Joan, his wife, had two sons:
George Wheler, of Martin Hussingtree, in Worcestershire, the eldest son of William Wheler of Crouche (see above), married Elizabeth, daughter of J. Arnold (or Hernold), of Higham, in Gloucestershire, with whom he had two sons:
one or two daughters: Mary (born 1608), and Eleanor, who married Samuel Randall.
After the Restoration, Charles Wheler was a favourite at court and he obtained the baronetcy, with special remainder to himself, for his elder cousin Sir William Wheler, 1st Baronet, and 1666 on the death of the death of Sir William, Charles Wheler succeeded to the baronetcy. However Sir William and Charles Wheler had fallen out, apparently over Charles urging Sir William to execute a settlement of his estates upon Charles, so instead of doing what Charles wanted, Sir William left the bulk of is estate to others and Charles only received an annual stipend of £120.
The ninth Baronet was a Lieutenant-Colonel in the Army and served throughout the Peninsular War and at the Battle of Waterloo. The tenth Baronet was a Lieutenant-General in the Army.
The heir apparent to the baronetcy is Edward William Wheler (born 1976), eldest son of the 15th Baronet.