Family History

John Aitken Carlyle was born in Ecclefechan on 7^th July 1801, his parent’s third son: Thomas was then 5 years and six months. He shared much the same background as his older brother: a strict father, a mason and a farmer, whose first wife had died young; and his mother Margaret, a youthful second wife. He had the same parents, the same strict Calvinist background, with regular attendance at the Seceder's meeting house on the Sabbath, but a different position in the growing family. Margaret would eventually have a total of nine children, not unusual for her time and class. Before John’s birth she had had three pregnancies: Thomas, Alexander (Alex or Sandy), and a daughter who died at less than two years of age. Throughout his childhood John would acquire a new brother or sister almost every two years. His mother’s last child was born when he was twelve years of age.
His male Carlyle ancestors had a reputation for disputatious and even violent behaviour. Thomas inherited it, throwing stools around in temper tantrums when he was two. His younger brother was much more placid, and confined himself more to verbal aggression; Thomas later described him as a ‘logic chopper from the cradle.’

First Steps of Lord Moon

In later life John would be a compulsive traveller, and first showed signs of this when he announced as a young child that he was off to fight the French, and was later found wandering, lost in the neighbouring ‘Pepperfield’ – an incident his mother and brothers would often recall many years later.
In childhood he was called by his second name, Aitken, but more often by his nicknames: Doil, Moon or Lord Moon, because of his round face. It must have been evident from an early age that he was intelligent, like Thomas. Alex, the second son, was not academically inclined, and became a farmer, like his father before him. None of the other children had more than an elementary education. John’s education must have been similar to that of Thomas; he followed him to Annan Academy, and taught mathematics there at the age of 19. In his adolescence he corresponded with Thomas, when Thomas had left home for university and was teaching in Kirkcaldy. In his letters his older brother encouraged John in his studies, setting geometry problems for him, sending him books – Voltaire’s History of Peter the Great was one - and giving him advice on what to read.
From his earliest days he was in the shadow of his greater brother. He would be told about him by all his teachers, he would be conscious at all times of his brother’s outstanding abilities, and he may have felt, with some justification, that his mother, despite her large family, always loved her first son more than the others. Thomas was always her favourite and their relationship throughout her life was exceptionally close; but Thomas must have served as a role model to John, then and later proving to him that their modest background need not prevent them bettering themselves.
In 1817, when his mother had a severe breakdown, lasting some months, John wrote to his brother with news of her progress. It is a perceptive report, the best that we have of his mother’s behaviour at that time, well-written apart from a shortage of full stops. The astute observation and powers of description are surprising for his age and hint at the future doctor. Mother’s illness must have made a powerful impression on him, as must the sight of his despairing father weeping on the floor. When John came to write his graduation thesis in 1925, his chosen subject was mental illness.
It was Thomas who made it possible for John to attend medical school in Edinburgh, financing the venture at a time when he could ill afford to do so. It may also have been Thomas who encouraged him to study medicine. After mother’s mental illness the whole family, especially Thomas, became anxious and hypochondriacal, and this, plus the prospect of a secure profession, must have made the thought of a doctor in the family an attractive one.
John worked hard at his studies while teaching at Annan, and gained entrance to Edinburgh University in 1822, which made him, at a time when most started their university studies aged fourteen, a mature student.

Next: Becoming a Doctor. Back to top