Bottomley was born on 23 March 1860, at 16, St Peter's Street, Bethnal Green in London, the second child and only son of William Bottomley, a tailor's cutter, and Elizabeth, née Holyoake.
Bottomley was born on 23 March 1860, at 16, St Peter's Street, Bethnal Green in London. His parents were William Bottomley, a tailor's cutter with a history of mental instability, and Elizabeth, née Holyoake.