Kemp was born at Beechwood, Rochdale, Lancashire, and educated at Shrewsbury and Mill Hill Schools. Matriculating at Balliol College, Oxford, in 1883, aged 16, Kemp transferred to Trinity College, Cambridge, in 1884, where he graduated B.A.
Kemp was born in Beechwood, Rochdale, Lancashire, and educated at Shrewsbury and Mill Hill Schools. In 1883, aged sixteen, Kemp matriculated at Balliol College, Oxford, then transferred to Trinity College, Cambridge, where he earned a B.A. in 1884.