Thomas Paine ... the man who sparked a revolution

Every American knows the name of Thomas Paine, one of the Founding Fathers of the United States.
The subject of a forthcoming talk: Thomas PaineThe subject of a forthcoming talk: Thomas Paine
The subject of a forthcoming talk: Thomas Paine

He was a main inspiration of the American Revolution and wrote a pamphlet, ‘Common Sense’, which attacked King George III and stated that the American colonies should rebel against English rule.

But few people in Britain have heard of him, and perhaps fewer still (outside Sussex) know that he lived in Lewes for six years, from 1768-1774.

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There, while Paine worked as a customs officer and ran a tobacco shop, he developed many of his political ideas at meetings in local inns such as The White Hart in Lewes High Street.

You can find out more about Thomas Paine at a talk coming up at The Keep in Falmer, on Wednesday (May 22) from 5.30-6.30pm.

Local author Paul Myles will explain how Paine, inspired by local radicalism, took his ideas to America and helped spark a revolution.

Visitors will also be able to see original documents, including the record of Tom Paine’s marriage and separation agreement, and copies of the 1770s local newspaper The Sussex Weekly Advertiser.

Entrance fee for ‘The Rise of Thomas Paine’ is £5; to book your place visit https://thekeep.digitickets.co.uk/tickets

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