Well, he probably did, actually – or at least a prototype of it. This severe-looking Victorian gent is none other than Thomas Carling, founder of the global brand. And he was born and grew up less than two miles from The Pipe and Glass, in the village of Etton, where his parents are buried in the churchyard. Originally a farmer, Carling and his family emigrated to Canada in 1818 and settled in what is now the city of London, Ontario. His home-brewed ale proved popular, and eventually he took up brewing full-time. The first Carling brewery had two kettles, a horse to turn the grinding mill and six men to work on the mash tubs. Carling sold his beer on the streets from a wheelbarrow. In 1840 Carling began a small brewing operation, selling beer to soldiers at the local camp. In 1878 his sons, John and William, built a six-storey brewery which was destroyed by fire only a year later. Thomas Carling helped to fight the fire, and shortly afterwards died of pneumonia. But the brand he established, and the Carling name, are now known worldwide. And shave off his beard, and don’t you think he’d be a dead-ringer for James Martin?