Thomas Erle

Infobox Person
name = Thomas Erle


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birth_name = 1650
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death_date = 1720-07-23, aged 70
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residence = Charborough House, Dorset
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occupation = Army General, Governor of Portsmouth, MP, PC
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spouse = Elizabeth Wyndham
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children = Frances Erle
parents = Thomas and Susanna Erle, née Fiennes
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Lieutenant General Thomas Erle (1650 – 1720-07-23) was an army general, MP, Governor of Portsmouth and a Lieutenant-General of the Ordnance.

He was born in 1650, the second son of Thomas and Susanna (née Fiennes) Erle of Charborough, Dorset. In 1678 he became MP for Wareham, then on 1685-05-27 was made Deputy Lieutenant of Dorset. In 1686 he hosted group of conspirators who met at Charborough House to plan the overthrow of "the tyrant race of Stuarts", which resulted in the Glorious Revolution.

Thomas Erle was the colonel of a foot regiment and on 1689-03-08 was sent to Ireland to fight the combined French and Irish Army of the deposed King James II of England.

In 1690 he took part in the Battle of the Boyne, the Siege of Limerick, and, the following year, the Battle of Aughrim.

In 1692 he took part in an expedition to Flanders and on 3 August 1692 was Colonel of the former Luttrell's Regiment at the Battle of Steenkerque. Henceforth the regiment he 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, fighting in the Battle of Landen on 22 March 1693.

In 1694 Thomas Erle returned home as Governor of Portsmouth, a position which he was to hold until 1712. In 1696 he was made a Major-General. In 1698 he became MP for Portsmouth.

In 1699 he returned to Ireland as second in command to Lord Galway, In 1700 he was both MP for Portsmouth once again and also Commander-in-Chief of Ireland.

In 1702 Erle was made a Lord Justice of Ireland and was MP for Wareham for a second time, then promoted to Lieutenant-General. In 1703, he became MP for Cork City in the Irish Parliament. In 1705 Erle was made Lieutenant-General of the Ordnance, a post which he held until 1712.

In January 1707 he took part in an expedition to Spain, fighting in the Battle of Almanza on 1707-04-23 — some reports state that he lost his right hand. In 1708 he was sent on an expedition to France. He then returned home, serving as MP for Wareham once again. In 1714 he became Lieutenant-General of the Ordnance for a second time and was also made Governor of Portsmouth, until 1718. From 1715 until 1718 he was Father of the House.

Erle died on 1720-07-23 and was buried at Charborough.

References

* [http://janus.lib.cam.ac.uk/db/node.xsp?id=EAD%2FGBR%2F0014%2FERLE General Thomas Erle at janus.lib.cam.ac.uk]

Persondata
NAME = Erle, Thomas
ALTERNATIVE NAMES =
SHORT DESCRIPTION = General, MP, PC, Governor of Portsmouth
DATE OF BIRTH = 1650
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DATE OF DEATH = 1720-07-23
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