 John Ross was born in Balsarroch, West Galloway, Scotland, on , the son of the Reverend Andrew Ross of Balsarroch, Minister of Inch in Wigtownshire, and Elizabeth Corsane, daughter of Robert Corsane, the Provost of Dumfries.His family home was on the shore of Loch Ryan, at Stranraer.In 1786, aged only nine, Ross joined the Royal Navy as a first-class volunteer and was assigned to .