Thomas Carlyle
The man recognised as one of the greatest writers of the Victorian Age was born on December 4 1795 in Ecclefechan, Dumfriesshire, a village on the coach road between England and Scotland. Thomas Carlyle's father James was a stonemason, although he later became a farmer, while his mother Margaret could barely read and could not write. The family were strict Calvinists and books, other than the bible, and poetry were totally forbidden. He learnt reading and writing at the local school and basic maths from his father.

Jane Welsh Carlyle
While Thomas Carlyle was famed across the world for his writing and lectures, his wife Jane was also recognised as a raconteur and quick-witted hostess. Today she is considered one of the finest women of letters in the 19th century. She was born on July 14 1801, in Haddington, near Edinburgh, the only child of a prosperous doctor, and was a precociously clever but charming child.