 Buckman was the eldest son of James Buckman (1814-1884), Professor of Geology, Botany, and Zoology at the Royal Agricultural College 1848-1863, and his wife Julia (1834–1865).His first scientific paper (which related to Brachiopoda) was published in 1883, in the "Proceedings of the Dorsetshire Natural History Field Club".He was a prolific author.