John Greenleaf Whittier (1807-1892) was an American writer and poet, perhaps best known in Britain for his hymns including "Dear Lord and Father of mankind", but he is respected in the USA as a great American poet. He worked as part of the movement to abolish slavery in the United States.

Elfrida Vipont Foulds nee Brown (1902-1992) was born in Manchester and lived for many years in Yealand Conyers in North Lancashire. She wrote nearly two dozen children's novels and numerous books about Quaker history.

James A. Michener (1907-1997) was a Pulitzer Prize-winning American novelist from Pennsylvania, who was adopted by Quaker parents and studied at Swarthmore College (a Quaker institution). He wrote more than 40 books, most with one-word titles such as Alaska and Chesapeake and was a consummate traveller.

Oliver Postgate (born 1925) is one of the most original creators of children's television ever known in Britain. He was responsible for Pogle's Wood, Noggin the Nog, Ivor the Engine, the Clangers and Bagpuss (the latter was voted the nation's favourite children's programme ever!).

Margaret Drabble (born 1939) is a novelist and biographer and the editor of the Oxford Companion to English Literature. She and her half sister, A.S. Byatt were educated at The Mount school in York (where Judi Dench also spent her schooldays). Margaret was awarded the CBE in 1980.

A.S. Byatt (born 1936) was born as Antonia Susan Drabble, is the half sister of Margaret Drabble and is also a novelist. She won the Booker Prize in 1990 for her novel 'Possession: A Romance' and she was awarded the CBE in 1990. She has been compared to Doris Lessing and Iris Murdoch.