Lewes from the South by Dominic Serres painted in 1768, the year Thomas Paine rode into town as an Officer of Excise. The next six years in Lewes shaped the man, and then the world. Find out how in the books below.
Thomas Paine in Lewes 1768-1774
Thomas Paine developed his political and economic thought in Lewes the County Town of East Sussex. He was selected from 2700 officers of excise to write the pamphlet The Case of the Officers of Excise. Plucked from obscurity Paine learnt the skills in Lewes to write Common Sense just after he left Lewes for the North American Colonies. This book shows Lewes as a dissenting, bustling independent town, a place where Paine could sit as a Juryman on the Court Leet and oversee the poor law. This is a collection of essays showing a general overview of Paine's life by Colin Brent. A detailed account of Paine's first pamphlet by Paul Myles and stories about General Gage by Deborah Gage. There are 40 coloured illustrations and photographs, original documents and stunning views of Lewes painted in 1769 and 1768 by Dominic Serres. An essay by Susan Morris describes the paintings and the provenance with a history of Serres as well. Dr Seth Gopin, the art historian from New York writes the Preface, he was involved in the research and steadied Paul Myles through the research period and beyond. Both men, Thomas Pain and Thomas Gage both resided ,in part, just 5 miles away from each other in Lewes, Paine in Bull House in the High Street and Thomas Gage at the family seat at Firle Place in Glynde, just outside Lewes. Both were made members of the American Philosophical Society and remained so for the rest of their lives. That these two men were so highly instrumental on the opposite sides of the War of Independence, and were so closely linked to Lewes is astonishing. Firle Place has on display General Gage's Document Chest and his Freedom Document from the city of New York, Paine is celebrated in the town of Lewes. Not before has the link been properly made between these two men from either side of the North American Conflict and either side of the class divide.
The Rise of Thomas Paine
This is the story of how an unknown and lowly Englishman came to be thrust onto the international stage with world-changing effect. While Thomas Paine is known by all Americans as one of their founding fathers, he remains relatively obscure in Great Britain. Thomas Paine's skill as a writer was recognised by George Lewis Scott, a commissioner of Excise, who was at the height of English society. Scott had been trying to reduce the corruption that was endemic in the Excise Service, Paine had suffered it at first hand. This was in 1772 in Lewes, the County town of East Sussex while Paine was still just an outrider of Excise. Paine articulated the argument in his first pamphlet, but despite 4000 copies being printed the four years-long campaign came to nought. It was this effort that exposed the bungling and corrupt ministry and convinced Paine to try his hand in the North American Colonies, which was already aflame from the poor treatment by the United Kingdom. Paine left England with a letter of introduction from Benjamin Franklin. Within a year Paine had written Common Sense, the document that kindled the War of Independence. Paine followed this with 13 Crisis papers that were highly influential in steadying the American troops in the fight against their mother country. This story uses previously unseen documents from the Treasury boxes in the National Archives in Kew. Several strands have been drawn together that show that the United Kingdom was in deep disarray and that it was these factors that drove the emergent United States of America to break free from the United Kingdom.