Person    | Male  Born 29/1/1737  Died 8/6/1809

Thomas Paine

Revolutionary. Born Thetford, Norfolk. Emigrated to the British American colonies and took part in the American Revolution. Travelled to France in 1781 and became sufficiently involved in politics and government there to be imprisoned for a few months. Not approving of Napoleon he returned to America at Thomas Jefferson's invitation but he was not successful and died there in penury, at 59 Grove Street in Greenwich Village, New York where he was being nursed in the home of the widow of an old friend. In 1819 an admirer had his remains dug up and brought back to England, but they were then lost.

'Rights of Man', 1791, was written at the Angel Inn, Islington. His other writings include: 'Common Sense' 1776, 'The Age of Reason' 1794, 'Agrarian Justice' 1795.

We learn, at The Great Wen, that Paine was also a bridge-builder, albeit the only one he built went nowhere on a bowling green near Lisson Grove.

Comments are provided by Facebook, please ensure you are signed in here to see them

This section lists the memorials where the subject on this page is commemorated:
Thomas Paine

Commemorated ati

Thomas Paine obelisk

Erected on the 200th anniversary of the publication of Paine's "Rights of Man...

Read More

This section lists the memorials created by the subject on this page:
Thomas Paine

Creations i

The Great Rising / Peasants' Revolt

Matthew Bell realised that The Great Rising lacked a proper memorial and that...

Read More

Other Subjects

Sir William Barlow

Sir William Barlow

Born Oldham. At various times Chair of the Post Office, BICC, etc. President of The Royal Academy of Engineering 1991-96. Our picture source outlines his career. Our colleague, Andrew Behan, infor...

Person, Politics & Administration

1 memorial
General Haynau, Baron Julius Jacob von Haynau

General Haynau, Baron Julius Jacob von Haynau

Born Kassel, now in Germany.  Aged 15 joined the Austrian army, served in the Napoleonic wars and rose rapidly. His suppression of revolutionaries in Italy and Hungary including flogging women and ...

Person, Armed Forces, Politics & Administration, Austria

1 memorial
Geoffrey William Ridley

Geoffrey William Ridley

Master of the Carpenters Company in 1956.

Person, Politics & Administration

1 memorial
Sir Thomas Neill

Sir Thomas Neill

Irish-born insurance executive and pioneer of National Health Insurance. In 1894 he became general manager of the London, Edinburgh and Glasgow Insurance Company and joined the board of directors ...

Person, Politics & Administration, Ireland

1 memorial
John Gilbert Winant

John Gilbert Winant

United States ambassador to Great Britain 1941-46. Born New York City. Succeeded the pro-appeasement ambassador, Joseph Kennedy, Winant was with Churchill when news arrived of the attack on Pearl H...

Person, Politics & Administration, Tragedy, USA

2 memorials