He was born in Yorkshire in April 1820 the second son of Elizabeth Abney and her husband, Henry Walker (1785–1860) of Blyth Hall and Clifton House, Rotherham.
[1] The Walker Brothers were prominent ironfounders, their notable works including Southwark Bridge in London.
[3] There is mention of his being a surgeon, but does not appear to have ever practised, and is referred to in directories as a "gentleman", implying that he lived off independent means.
[4] They lived at 32 Melville Street: a large mid-terraced Victorian townhouse in Edinburgh's fashionable West End.
[6] In 1866 he is also listed as a Member of the Edinburgh Botanical Society alongside Robert Hutchison of Carlowrie and Stevenson Macadam.