‘The World is my country, all mankind are my brethren, and to do good is my religion’

Thomas Paine was born in Thetford, Norfolk, on 29 January 1737.

There are 100s of interesting stories about Thomas Paine in the Archive.

But to celebrate his birthday, we picked this sad, poignant, quirky and utterly fascinating story (from 1809) about how, even on his death-bed, he would not submit to the advocates of organised religion.

Cheltenham Chronicle – Thursday 24 August 1809

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http://www.britishnewspaperarchive.co.uk/viewer/bl/0000311/18090824/028/0003