Saving Paine’s Grammar School
In April 2026, the Thetford Grammar School, where Thomas Paine was a pupil from 1744 to 1749, announced its closure effective August 31, 2026.
Thomas Paine and Thetford
Our collection of articles, records and reviews about Thomas Paine and Thetford.
BOOK REVIEW: Thomas Paine His Life, His Time and The Birth of Modem Nations
Abraham Lincoln, the father of the modern Republican Party, was converted to deism by reading The Age of Reason. He wrote a pamphlet extolling Paine’s views which his friends tossed into the stove. Even the bumbling third rate movie actor Ronald Reagan could quote Paine.
BOOK REVIEW: Thomas Paine His Life, His Time and The Birth of Modem Nations Read Post »
Thomas Paine’s Early Life In England
Paine, I am sure, was never “just” an exciseman, a teacher, staymaker, or storekeeper. His mental activity, interest in science, government and human relations, implied that there was far more bigger and grander things for him to do.
A Stroke Of Imagination
Our President, our Society, and I, were made to feel very much at home at Thetford’s ‘Rights of Man’. The kindness of the organisers of the event will, I know, be repaid many times over in visits by members to the pub in Brandon Road.
Thomas Paine In The Thetford Public Library
If ever the magpie instinct in a man were justified, it is justified in Ambrose C. Barker, whose collection of Paine material was presented by Miss Ella Twynam to the Thetford Public Library. The five shelves form an excellent source of fascinating material for students and advanced researchers alike.
Obituary of George Richard Blaydon 1875-1966
Mr. Blaydon was an expert on local history, being also an Associate of the Royal Historical Society. In the correspondence appear notes on many topics of interest to students of Paine what may have happened to Paine’s bones, whether Paine was a Freemason, and details of the Rev. William Knowles.
Thetford Thomas Paine Statue Unveiled
A member of the Thetford Council has resigned over the decision to erect the statue, but the guests who accepted an invitation to attend included Sir Charles Wheeler, President of the Royal Academy, who made the statue for the Thomas Paine Foundation of America to present to Thetford.