Alexander Buller was born on 30 June 1834, the second son of the Reverend Richard Buller, rector of Lanreath, Cornwall, and his wife, Elizabeth Hornby, daughter of John Hornby of Hook, near Titchfield, Hampshire.
The rectory had previously been occupied by his cousin, another Richard Buller, who had died in 1826[REF] and, having graduated from Oriel College, Oxford with a Bachelor of Arts degree in 1826 (proceeding to Master of Arts in 1829), Richard Buller succeeded his cousin in 1829 [REF].