The son of a humble family, he was born at Garsington, near Oxford, and was educated under a noted schoolmaster of the time, William Wildgoose, of Brasenose College, at Denton, near his native place.
Coming from a humble background, the subject was born in Garsington, near Oxford, and educated by a distinguished teacher named William Wildgoose, who taught him at Denton, near his home town.