William Barnham was born 27 April 1838 in Norwich and baptized 13 May 1838. He married Jane Burton in 1859 in Knottingley, Yorkshire. She was a sister to Bessy Burton, who married Richard. William was a railway porter. In both the 1871 and 1881 Censuses, William was not living with his family. In 1871, his wife Jane and her seven children were living with William's parents Richard and Mary Barnham and their own children, Amelia and Peter. In the 1881 census, Jane was listed as the head of the household of seven children living at Wortley in Leeds, Yorkshire. She reported her marital status as "Married".