He was the second son of William Lowther, 1st Earl of Lonsdale, and his wife Lady Augusta (née Fane) (eldest daughter of John Fane, 9th Earl of Westmorland and, his first wife, Augusta Bertie, a granddaughter of Robert Bertie, 1st Duke of Ancaster and Kesteven).
He was the second child of William Lowther, 1st Earl of Lonsdale, and his spouse Lady Augusta Fane, who was the eldest offspring of John Fane, 9th Earl of Westmorland, and his first spouse, Augusta Bertie, a descendant of Robert Bertie, 1st Duke of Ancaster and Kesteven.