Born at Beaconsfield in 1820, Charsley matriculated at Christ Church, Oxford, but left after being blinded in an accident.
He returned to St Mary Hall, with assistance from his brother Robert Harvey Charsley, and graduated from there to become a well-regarded tutor.
[2][3][4] The History of the University of Oxford states that One small establishment, however, filled a niche in the market by receiving idle or incapable students removed from the colleges.
For nearly thirty years W. H. Charsley presided over a hall in Parks Road whose members, though few in number, were distinguished for their athletic prowess.
[6] In R. W. Hiley's Memories of Half a Century (1899), Charsley is described as "honoured, respected and beloved by all... a fine man in person, of superior mind, a good scholar".