Born in Vauxhall, Henry was the second of the eight children of John Doulton (1793–1873), a pottery manufacturer, and his wife, Jane Duneau, a widow from Bridgnorth in Shropshire.
In 1846 he initiated in Lambeth the pipe works, in which he superintended the manufacture of the drainage and sanitary appliances which helped to make the firm of Doulton famous.
[7] In 1872, the Art department was instituted in the Doulton works, giving employment to both male and female artists, among whom such workers as George Tinworth and Misses Hannah and Florence Barlow obtained a reputation outside their immediate sphere.
[7] On 12 August 1887, Doulton received the honour of a knighthood,[8] and in 1885 he was awarded the Albert Medal by the Royal Society of Arts.
[9] After his death in London, he was placed in a mausoleum at West Norwood Cemetery appropriately constructed from red pottery tiles and bricks from the Doulton Works, which is now a Grade II Listed building.