Did you know Lewes played a part in American Ind
ependence?
Famous Lewes resident Thomas Paine (1737 – 1809), author and revolutionary, was a key influence in the American War of Independence, the writing of the American constitution and is considered a father of British Radicalism.
Paine lived in Bull House in Lewes between 1768 and 1774 where he married, worked as a shopkeeper and exciseman and where he also wrote his first political pamphlet - The Case of the Officers of Excise - part of the first national unionised action anywhere in the world.
An ardent debater at the Headstrong Club in Lewes - which still exists today - arguably, the debates here helped form some of the ideas behind his later book – The Rights of Man – in 1791.
Lewes’ 'We wunt be druv' culture of resisting oppression and questioning authority provided Paine with fertile ground for developing the ideas that would later inspire the American colonists.
Today, 15th century Bull House celebrates this radical writer and offers guided tours of his former home.
Come walk in Paine’s footsteps and hear about his extraordinary life.
Celebrating 250 years since American Independence, the town of Lewes will be marking the occasion with a series of events starting with the Festival of Democracy, featuring a parade on 4 July.
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