Robert Hellen was an Irish politician, Solicitor-General

Solicitor-General for Ireland

The Solicitor-General for Ireland was the holder of an Irish and then United Kingdom government office. The holder was a deputy to the Attorney-General for Ireland, and advised the Crown on Irish legal matters. At least one holder of the office, Patrick Barnewall played a significant role in...

, and judge of the Court of Common Pleas (Ireland)

Court of Common Pleas (Ireland)

The Court of Common Pleas was one of the senior courts of common law in Ireland. It was a mirror image of the equivalent court in England...

. He became the Member of Parliament

Member of Parliament

A Member of Parliament is a representative of the voters to a :parliament. In many countries with bicameral parliaments, the term applies specifically to members of the lower house, as upper houses often have a different title, such as senate, and thus also have different titles for its members,...

 for Bannow

Bannow (Parliament of Ireland constituency)

Bannow was a constituency represented in the Irish House of Commons to 1800.- Boundaries and Boundary Changes :This constituency was the borough of Bannow in County Wexford.-History:...

 in 1768 and Fethard (County Wexford)

Fethard (County Wexford) (Parliament of Ireland constituency)

Fethard was a constituency in County Wexford represented in the Irish House of Commons to 1800.-History:In the Patriot Parliament of 1689 summoned by King James II, Fethard was represented with two members.-1689–1801:...

 in 1776. He was appointed as Solicitor-General in 1777
, and a judge of the Court of Common Pleas in 1779.

Early life

He was born at Whitehaven, Cumberland

Cumberland

Cumberland is a historic county of North West England, on the border with Scotland, from the 12th century until 1974. It formed an administrative county from 1889 to 1974 and now forms part of Cumbria....

, son of Robert Hellen senior. His family moved to Dublin where he was educated at the University of Dublin

University of Dublin

The University of Dublin , corporately designated the Chancellor, Doctors and Masters of the University of Dublin , located in Dublin, Ireland, was effectively founded when in 1592 Queen Elizabeth I issued a charter for Trinity College, Dublin, as "the mother of a university" – this date making it...

, taking his degree of Bachelor of Arts in 1746 and Bachelor of Laws in 1749. He entered Middle Temple

Middle Temple

The Honourable Society of the Middle Temple, commonly known as Middle Temple, is one of the four Inns of Court exclusively entitled to call their members to the English Bar as barristers; the others being the Inner Temple, Gray's Inn and Lincoln's Inn...

 in 1749 and was called to the Irish bar in 1755. He became King's Counsel in 1774.

Family

He married Dorothea Daniel of Dublin in 1761; Dorothea was wealthy but it may have been a love marriage since she was also noted for beauty and charm. They had four daughters.

Character

When young he was described rather sentimentally as " a youth of fair fame and gentle endowments". In later life he was noted for his literary tastes: he enjoyed the company of poets and writers like Charlotte Brooke, and built up an impressive library and picture collection. He was considered a poor politician, but a learned judge.