Sampson Hele ( – ) of Gnaton and of Halwell, Devon, was an English politician who sat in the

House of Commons The House of Commons is the name for the elected lower house of the bicameral parliaments of the United Kingdom and Canada. In both of these countries, the Commons holds much more legislative power than the nominally upper house of parliament. ...

in 1614 and 1624.

Early life

Hele was born into the junior line of a minor gentry family which had settled in Devon since at least the twelfth century. He was the son of Walter Hele of Lewston, Devon and the former Elizabeth Strode, daughter of William Strode of Newnham, Devon. He matriculated at Broadgates Hall, Oxford on 6 May 1597, aged 15.

Career

Upon his father's death in 1609, he inherited around 850 acres, including three manors, most of which was located in the south-west of the county, near Plymouth and Plympton. In 1614, he was elected

Member of Parliament A member of parliament (MP) is the representative in parliament of the people who live in their electoral district. In many countries with bicameral parliaments, this term refers only to members of the lower house since upper house members of ...

for

Plympton Erle Plympton is a suburb of the city of Plymouth in Devon, England. It is in origin an ancient stannary town. It was an important trading centre for locally mined tin, and a seaport before the River Plym silted up and trade moved down river to Pl ...

on the interest of his cousin Sir

Warwick Hele Sir Warwick Hele (1568 – 15 January 1626) was an English landowner and politician who sat in the House of Commons at various times between 1597 and 1625. Origins Hele was the eldest son of John Hele (died 1608), a money-lender and MP and was ...

. A

Royalist A royalist supports a particular monarch as head of state for a particular kingdom, or of a particular dynastic claim. In the abstract, this position is royalism. It is distinct from monarchism, which advocates a monarchical system of governme ...

during the

Civil War A civil war or intrastate war is a war between organized groups within the same state (or country). The aim of one side may be to take control of the country or a region, to achieve independence for a region, or to change government policies ...

, he was appointed

Sheriff of Devon The High Sheriff of Devon is the Queen's representative for the County of Devon, a territory known as his/her bailiwick. Selected from three nominated people, they hold the office for one year. They have judicial, ceremonial and administrative f ...

for 1621, and then elected MP for

Tavistock Tavistock ( ) is an ancient stannary and market town within West Devon, England. It is situated on the River Tavy from which its name derives. At the 2011 census the three electoral wards (North, South and South West) had a population of 13,028 ...

in 1624 on the interest of his brother-in-law, Sir

Francis Glanville Major General Francis Robert Glanville (1827–1910) was a senior British Army officer. Biography A descendant of Sir John Glanville MP (1542–1600), and Sir John Glanville MP (1586–1661), the Speaker of the House of Commons, and the g ...

. 'Alumni Oxonienses, 1500–1714: Hawten-Hider', Alumni Oxonienses 1500–1714: Abannan-Kyte (1891), pp. 679–705. Date accessed: 21 November 2011
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Personal life

Hele married Joan Glanville, eldest daughter of Sir

John Glanville Sir John Glanville the younger (1586 – 2 October 1661), was an English politician who sat in the House of Commons at various times between 1614 and 1644. He was Speaker of the English House of Commons during the Short Parliament. He support ...

of Killworthy, Devon. Together, they were the parents of eight sons (two who died young) and five daughters, including: * Roger Hele, who married Juliana Prestwood. After his death, she married Sir Thomas Putt, 2nd Baronet. Hele died before 4 December 1655 when his will, made on 10 October 1653, was proved. In it, he bequeathed more than £6,000 to his wife and children, in addition to lands he had already bestowed on them.

Descendants

Through his son Roger, he was a grandfather of

Juliana Osborne, Duchess of Leeds Juliana Colyear, Countess of Portmore ( Hele, formerly Juliana Osborne, Duchess of Leeds) ( – 20 November 1794) was an English noblewoman. She was the third wife of Peregrine Osborne, 3rd Duke of Leeds, and later the wife of Charles Colyea ...

, the third wife of

Peregrine Osborne, 3rd Duke of Leeds Peregrine Hyde Osborne, 3rd Duke of Leeds (11 November 1691 – 9 May 1731) was a British peer. Early life He was the second son of Peregrine, Earl of Danby and his wife, the former Bridget Hyde, only daughter of Sir Thomas Hyde, 2nd Baronet. ...

, and later the wife of

Charles Colyear, 2nd Earl of Portmore Charles Colyear, 2nd Earl of Portmore, KT (27 August 1700 – 5 July 1785), known as Lord Milsington to 1730, of Portmore House, Weybridge, Surrey, was a British Whig politician who sat in the House of Commons between 1726 and 1730, when he succe ...

.L. G. Pine, ''The New Extinct Peerage 1884-1971: Containing Extinct, Abeyant, Dormant and Suspended Peerages With Genealogies and Arms'' (London, U.K.: Heraldry Today, 1972), p. 174.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Hele, Sampson 1582 births 1655 deaths Members of the Parliament of England for Tavistock Alumni of Broadgates Hall, Oxford High Sheriffs of Devon English MPs 1614 English MPs 1624–1625 Members of the Parliament of England for Plympton Erle