John Hele (3 March 1626 – 25 January 1661) was an English lawyer and politician who sat in the

House of Commons The House of Commons is the name for the elected lower house of the Bicameralism, 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 ...

between 1659 and 1661. Hele was the only son of Nicholas Hele of Wembury, Devon and Easton in Gordano, Somerset and his first wife Dorothy Stradling, daughter of Edmund Stradling of Easton in Gordano. He succeeded his father who died in 1640. History of Parliament Online - John Hele
/ref> He matriculated at

Christ Church, Oxford Christ Church (, the temple or house, ''wikt:aedes, ædes'', of Christ, and thus sometimes known as "The House") is a Colleges of the University of Oxford, constituent college of the University of Oxford in England. Founded in 1546 by Henry V ...

on 21 October 1642 aged 16. 'Alumni Oxonienses, 1500-1714: Hawten-Hider', Alumni Oxonienses 1500-1714: Abannan-Kyte (1891), pp. 679-705. Date accessed: 22 October 2011
/ref> He entered

Lincoln's Inn The Honourable Society of Lincoln's Inn, commonly known as Lincoln's Inn, is one of the four Inns of Court (professional associations for Barrister, barristers and judges) in London. To be called to the bar in order to practise as a barrister ...

in 1644 and was called to the bar in 1652. He bought the manor of Flanchford before 1656. In 1659, Hele became a J.P. for Surrey and was commissioner for militia. He was also elected Member of Parliament for

Reigate Reigate ( ) is a town status in the United Kingdom, town in Surrey, England, around south of central London. The settlement is recorded in Domesday Book of 1086 as ''Cherchefelle'', and first appears with its modern name in the 1190s. The ea ...

in the

Third Protectorate Parliament The Third Protectorate Parliament sat for one session, from 27 January 1659 until 22 April 1659, with Chaloner Chute and Thomas Bampfylde as the Speakers of the House of Commons. It was a bicameral Parliament, with an Upper House having a po ...

. He was commissioner for assessment from January 1660 and commissioner for militia in March 1660. In April 1660 he was re-elected MP for Reigate in the

. He was also a colonel of militia from April 1660 and was commissioner for oyer and terminer for the Home circuit from July 1660. Hele died intestate at the age of 34. Hele married Dorothy, who was daughter of Sir John Hobart, 2nd Baronet., of Blickling, Norfolk and widow of Sir John Hele of Clifton Maybank, Dorset, and of Hugh Rogers of Cannington, Somerset. She married Lord Crofts as her fourth husband "after six weeks’ mourning".

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Hele, John 1626 births 1661 deaths Alumni of Christ Church, Oxford Members of Lincoln's Inn People from Surrey (before 1889) 17th-century English lawyers English MPs 1659 English MPs 1660 Lawyers from Surrey