Robert Morrell MBE is Secretary of The Thomas Paine Society.

Thomas Paine Society

President: Michael Foot
Vice-President: Tony Benn
Chairman: Chad Goodwin
Treasurer: Stuart Wright
Secretary: R.W. Morrell M.B.E., B,Sc., F.L.S.

43 Eugene Gardens, Nottingham NG2 3LF

12th November 2001

The Producer
'Start the Week'
BBC Radio 4
Henry Wood House
Langham Place
London W1A 1AA

Sir/Madam,

I was rather surprised to hear the comments about Thomas Paine's supposed attitude towards women on your programme of today's date. There is no evidence supportive of the charge that he was a misogamist, or treated either of his wives abominably, as seems to have been the opinion of certain people appearing on your programme.

Very little is known of Paine's first wife, Mary Lambert, who died in childbirth, but even his first biographer, 'Francis Oldys' (George Chalmers), gave no credit to tales of him having mistreated her, and he was a government employee who had been commissioned by his employers to compose for their political ends what was basically an exercise in character assassination in the form of a biography. In respect to Paine's second marriage, this ended amicably in an agreed parting, Paine having made financial provision for her. It is a matter of record that for the remainder of her life Elizabeth Paine is never known to have criticised or attacked her husband and to have refused to remain in the company of anyone who did. As the current issue of our Bulletin includes an article bearing on his first wife, 'A Small Addition to the Writings on Thomas Paine', I enclose a copy for your information. In 1999 we also published an article on Paine's second wife, Elizabeth Ollive entitled, 'Wife of a Revolutionary', which presents a rather different factual picture to that entertained by certain of those participating in your programme, so I also enclose a copy of this. Perhaps you might consider sending copies of the articles to those concerned, although you may prefer they remain in a state of ignorance.

One can criticise Thomas Paine on a number of points, and personally I have done so, but I find it astonishing that in an age when information technology is supposed to be all important and influential we still encounter so much ignorance concerning his private life, or what we know of it, on the part of people who in light of their professions should know better. However, to be fair to them as far as I am aware none can be described as experts on Paine so perhaps they can be excused for publicly exhibiting their ignorance.

Yours faithfully

Robert Morrell

Letter from Michael Roll to Robert Morrell, November 12, 2001.

Thomas Paine links

The Most Valuable Englishman Ever - Michael Roll's article about Thomas Paine (1736-1809)
This outstanding tribute to Thomas Paine - "The Most Valuable Englishman Ever" - is taken from Arthur Findlay's suppressed history of humanity, "The Curse of Ignorance".