Humphrey Lyons was born at St Austins in the English county of Hampshire in 1802, the ninth of twelve sons of John Lyons of Antigua and St Austin's (1760-1816), and Catherine (1763-1803) (née Walrond), daughter of Maine Swete Walrond, 5th Marquis de Vallado. He went to India where he entered the 23rd Bombay Native Infantry on May 25, 1817. He married in 1824 Elizabeth Bennett (1798-1859), and had the following children: Humphrey married secondly in 1860, the Hon. Adelaide Matilda Yelverton (1821-1884), daughter of the 3rd Viscount Avonmore.