[1][2] Born in London to working-class parents, William Duthie became a goldsmith.
He left London to live in Hamburg for several years, and travelled in Germany and France.
After his return to London, he contributed to periodicals, such as Charles Dickens's magazine Household Words (1852–1855),[3] Welcome Guest, The Cornhill Magazine, and Belgravia (1866–1870),[4] recounting his adventures abroad.
These articles led to the publication of A Tramp's Wallet (1858) and Proved in the Fire (1867).
During the mid-1850's Duthie was involved in the National Sunday League, an organisation which opposed Sabbatarianism.