Sir Thomas Hele, 1st Baronet

Sir Thomas Hele. 1st Baronet (c. 1595 – November 1670) was an English politician who sat in the House of Commons of England at various times between 1626 and 1670. He fought on the Royalist side in the English Civil War.

Hele was the son of Thomas Hele of Fleet Damerel and his wife Bridget Champernowne, daughter of Sir Henry Champernowne.^[1]

In 1626, Hele was elected Member of Parliament for Plympton Erle.^[2] He was created Baronet of Fleet in the County of Devon in the Baronetage of England on 28 May 1627.^[1] In 1628, he was re-elected MP for Plympton Earl and sat until 1629 when King Charles decided to rule without parliament for eleven years.^[2] He was High Sheriff of Devon for 1636.^[1]

Hele was re-elected for Plympton in April 1640 for the Short Parliament in what appears to be a double return. In November 1640, his place was taken by Michael Oldisworth, but as Oldisworth chose to take up a seat at Salisbury, Hele was returned for the Long Parliament.^[2] Hele joined the King at Oxford in 1643 and was therefore disabled from sitting in parliament in January 1644. He was one of the chief commanders of the King's army and took part in the siege of Plymouth and the defence of Pendennis Castle. He was fined for his actions against parliament at £280 per annum.^[1]

In 1661 Hele was elected MP for Okehampton in the Cavalier Parliament and held the seat until his death in 1670.^[2]

Hele was buried at Holbeton All Saints church on 16 November 1670. There is a monument in the church to the Hele family.^[3]

Hele married firstly Penelope Mason daughter of Eniorbe Mason of Wigborow by whom he had a son. He married secondly Elizabeth Carson of Oxfordshire. He was succeeded successively by his sixth and seventh sons Samuel and Henry.^[1]

References

1. John Burke A genealogical and heraldic history of the extinct and dormant baronetcies
2. History of Parliament Online - Hele, Sir Thomas, 1st Bt.
3. John Stabb Some Old Devon Churches