Sir Thomas Hele, 1st Baronet

Who is Sir Thomas Hele, 1st Baronet?

Sir Thomas Hele. 1st Baronet 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.

In 1626, Hele was elected Member of Parliament for Plympton Erle. He was created Baronet of Fleet in the County of Devon 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 High Sheriff of Devon for 1636.

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. 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.