hiː wʌz bˈɔːɹn ɪn kˈɔːɹk ˌɔn twˈɛnti nˈaɪn dʒˈuːn wˈʌn θˈaʊzənd ˈeɪthˈʌndɹɪd fˈoːɹɾi, æz ðə fˈɪfθ ʌv fˈaɪv tʃˈɪldɹən ʌv dʒˈɑːn wˈiːlɚ dˈaʊdən ænd ɐlˈiːʃə bˈɛnɪt.
He was born in Cork on 29 June 1840, as the fifth of five children of John Wheeler Dowden and Alicia Bennett.