Thomas Paine Statue (Thetford)
The Thomas Paine Statue stands proudly in the town centre of Thetford in Norfolk.
Thomas Paine, the son of a Quaker farmer, was born in 1737 in White Hart Street.
In 1774 he left England for America, where a close friend was Benjamin Franklin. In 1776 he published "Common Sense", which argued for American Independence.
Returning to England, he published "The Rights of Man" in 1792. This sold one and a half million copies in England alone, but he was indicted for treason and fled to France. There, he represented Calais at the National Convention, narrowly escaped the guillotine, and wrote "The Age of Reason".
In 1802 he returned to America and died there in 1809.
Thomas Paine is held in high esteem in both America and France, where he influenced both their Revolutions.
He was also an advocate of the abolition of slavery and the emancipation of women.
He alo spent some time living at Sandwich in Kent.
Today, a golden statue of Thomas Paine, quill in hand, stands opposite the Bell Hotel.