General Thomas Erle PC of Charborough, Dorset, was a general in the English Army and, thereafter, the British Army.
29 Facts About Thomas Erle
Thomas Erle was a Whig politician who sat in the House of Commons of England and of Great Britain from 1678 to 1718.
Thomas Erle was Governor of Portsmouth and a Lieutenant-General of the Ordnance.
In 1675, Erle married Elizabeth Wyndham, daughter of Sir William Wyndham, 1st Baronet of Orchard Wyndham, Somerset.
Thomas Erle succeeded his elder brother before 1665 and his grandfather to Charborough in 1665.
At the second general election in 1679, Thomas Erle was again returned unopposed, but left no record in the second Exclusion Parliament.
Thomas Erle was returned unopposed again at the 1681 English general election but was again inactive.
At the 1685 English general election Thomas Erle was returned unopposed again, and was named to committees in Parliament but was called away in response to Monmouth's invasion.
In 1686, Thomas Erle hosted a group of conspirators who met at Charborough House to plan the overthrow of "the tyrant race of Stuarts".
Thomas Erle was returned again as MP for Wareham at the 1689 English general election.
At the 1690 English general election, Thomas Erle was returned as MP for Wareham in a contest.
Thomas Erle was infrequently in Parliament and his contributions were usually on military matters.
Henceforth, the regiment Thomas Erle raised in 1689 became the 2nd Battalion of the former Luttrell's Regiment, later the Green Howards.
In 1693, Thomas Erle was promoted to Brigadier-General, and was wounded in the Battle of Landen in 1693.
Thomas Erle was returned unopposed for Wareham at the 1695 English general election.
In 1699, Thomas Erle lost one of his regiments and returned to Ireland as second in command to Lord Galway.
Thomas Erle was returned again as MP for Portsmouth in the two elections of 1701.
However at the second election of that year, Thomas Erle was returned as MP for Wareham and chose to sit there.
Thomas Erle was made a Lord Justice of Ireland and then promoted to Lieutenant-General.
Thomas Erle stood again at Wareham and Portsmouth at the 1702 English general election and chose to sit for Wareham again.
In 1703, Thomas Erle became MP for Cork City in the Irish Parliament and held this seat until 1713.
In 1705, Thomas Erle was appointed Lieutenant-General of the Ordnance, a post which he held until 1712.
Thomas Erle was returned again as MP for Wareham at the 1705 English general election.
Thomas Erle was then told that he was to be commander-in-chief of an attack on the French coast.
Thomas Erle was annoyed with the posting, especially as his pay had been stopped when he came back from Spain.
Thomas Erle voted for the naturalization of the Palatines in 1709, and for the impeachment of Dr Sacheverell in 1710.
Thomas Erle was returned at Wareham again in 1710 and 1713.
In 1714, following the death of Queen Anne, Thomas Erle was appointed Lieutenant-General of the Ordnance for a second time.
Thomas Erle was returned as MP for Wareham at the 1715 general election.