Labour veteran Tony Benn laid a wreath at Lewes Castle in memory of 18th Century radical Tom Paine.
Mr Benn also gave a Bastille Day address, the culmination of two weeks of events marking Paine's life.
Mr Benn - who stood down as an MP at the General Election, famously saying he wanted to devote more time to politics - talked about Paine's legacy and the relevance of his beliefs today.
At one point he had to don a shower-proof jacket and take shelter from the rain under an umbrella.
Paine lived in Lewes for six years before taking off to the American colonies and later becoming a key figure in the French Revolution.
His book The Rights Of Man has been described as the best defence of democratic belief in any language.
More than 300 people assembled in the Gun Garden to listen to Mr Benn on Saturday.
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