Taupin was born at Flatters House, a farmhouse located between the village of Anwick and the town of Sleaford in the southern part of Lincolnshire, England, the son of Daphne (Cort) and Robert Taupin. His paternal grandparents were French. Taupin's father was educated in Dijon, and was employed as a stockman by a large farm estate near the town of Market Rasen. Taupin's mother worked as a nanny, having previously lived in Switzerland. The family later moved to Rowston Manor, a significant step up from Flatters farmhouse, which had no electricity.