Henry Wheatley

For the British author and editor, see Henry B. Wheatley.
Major-General Sir Henry Wheatley (1777-1852) (Henry William Pickersgill)

Major-General Sir Henry Wheatley, 1st Baronet GCH, KB (1777-21 March 1852), was the Keeper of the Privy Purse for King William the Fourth and Queen Victoria from 1830 to 1846.

He was the fourth son of William Wheatley, esq. of Lesney House, in the parish of Erith, Kent, where he was born in 1777, by Margaret, daughter of John Randall, esq. of Charlton, in the same county.

He entered the 1st Battalion of Grenadier Guards in 1795[1] and served in Holland under Prince Frederick, Duke of York and Albany, second son of George III. During this campaign, he was wounded in the neck on 19 September 1798. He was promoted from ensign to lieutenant that year.[2]

In 1807, he served as aide-de-camp to Sir Harry Burrard during the Battle of Copenhagen. He was also present at the Battle of Vimeiro in 1808, was given a company in 1809,[3] accompanied the Guards to Cadiz in 1810, and was engaged with that corps at Barrosa. He retired from the army in 1812;[4] his rank of Major-General was in the army of Hanover, and was conferred upon him by King William IV.

In 1830, William made him Keeper of the Privy Purse. He was also Receiver-General of the Duchy of Cornwall. Both of these offices remained with him upon the succession of Queen Victoria until his retirement in January 1847.

He was nominated a Grand Cross of the The Royal Guelphic Order | Hanoverian Guelphic Order | Guelphic Order order in 1834 and was created a baronet in February 1847, and nominated a Companion of the Bath of the civil division in 1848.

He married Louisa, daughter of George Edward Hawkins, esq., serjeant surgeon to King George III on 13 February 1806. They had two sons who died young and five daughters: Georgiana-Louisa; Henrietta-Maria, who died young; Laura-Maria who died in 1841; Mary; and Sophia, Maid of Honour to Queen Adelaide. He died 21 March 1852 and his baronetcy expired with him.

References

The Gentleman's Magazine, Vol. 37, page 519. At Google Books.

  1. ↑ The London Gazette: no. 13784. p. 569. 2—6 June 1795.
  2. ↑ The London Gazette: no. 15063. p. 899. 22—25 September 1798.
  3. ↑ The London Gazette: no. 16254. p. 642. 6—9 May 1809.
  4. ↑ The London Gazette: no. 16663. p. 2189. 31 October—3 November 1812.