Sir Thomas Hele. 1st Baronet (c. 1595 – November 1670) was an English politician who sat in the House of Commons of England

House of Commons of England

The House of Commons of England was the lower house of the Parliament of England from its development in the 14th century to the union of England and Scotland in 1707, when it was replaced by the House of Commons of Great Britain...

 variously between 1626 and 1670. He fought on the Royalist side in the English Civil War

English Civil War

The English Civil War was a series of armed conflicts and political machinations between Parliamentarians and Royalists...

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

In 1626, Hele was elected 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 Plympton Erle

Plympton Erle (UK Parliament constituency)

Plympton Erle, also spelt Plympton Earle, was a parliamentary borough in Devon. It elected two Members of Parliament to the House of Commons from 1295 until 1832, when the borough was abolished by the Great Reform Act.-1295-1640:-1640-1832:...

. He was created Baronet of Fleet in the County of Devon

Hele Baronets

The Hele Baronetcy, of Fleet in the County of Devon, was a title in the Baronetage of England. It was created on 28 May 1627 for Thomas Hele, Member of Parliament for Plympton Erle and Okehampton. The title became extinct on the death of the third Baronet in 1677.-Hele Baronets, of Fleet :*Sir...

 in the Baronetage of England on 28 May 1627. 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. He was some time High Sheriff of Devon

High Sheriff of Devon

The High Sheriff of Devon is the Queen's representative for the County of Devon, a territory known as his bailiwick. Selected from three nominated people, he holds his office over the duration of a year. He has judicial, ceremonial and administrative functions and executes High Court...

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Hele was re-elected for Plympton in April 1640 for the Short Parliament

Short Parliament

The Short Parliament was a Parliament of England that sat from 13 April to 5 May 1640 during the reign of King Charles I of England, so called because it lasted only three weeks....

 in what appears to be a double return. In November 1640, his place was taken by Michael Oldisworth

Michael Oldisworth

Michael Oldisworth was an English politician who sat in the House of Commons variously between 1624 and 1653. He supported the Parliamentary side in the English Civil War....

, but as Oldisworth chose to take up a seat at Salisbury, Hele was returned for the Long Parliament

Long Parliament

The Long Parliament was made on 3 November 1640, following the Bishops' Wars. It received its name from the fact that through an Act of Parliament, it could only be dissolved with the agreement of the members, and those members did not agree to its dissolution until after the English Civil War and...

. 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.

In 1661 Hele was elected MP for Okehampton

Okehampton (UK Parliament constituency)

Okehampton was a parliamentary borough in Devon, which elected two Members of Parliament to the House of Commons in 1301 and 1313, then continuously from 1640 to 1832, when the borough was abolished by the Great Reform Act.-History:...

 in the Cavalier Parliament

Cavalier Parliament

The Cavalier Parliament of England lasted from 8 May 1661 until 24 January 1679. It was the longest English Parliament, enduring for nearly 18 years of the quarter century reign of Charles II of England...

 and held the seat until his death in 1670.

Hele was buried at Holbeton

Holbeton

Holbeton is a village located 9 miles south east of Plymouth in Devon, UK. Historically it formed part of Ermington Hundred. To the east of the village is an Iron age enclosure or Hill fort known as Holbury...

All Saints church on 16 November 1670. There is a monument in the church to the Hele family.

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.