Emily was born on May 27th, 1835, daughter of the Revd Ferdinand Faithfull Rector of Hedley, Surrey. Her mother was Elizabeth Harrison, a widow whose maiden name was Timberlake. Ferdinand's more well-known brother, Francis Joseph who held a curacy at Hatfield, married them by licence. She was the youngest of 12 children, 4 dying young. She grew up amid many young people, as there was a school in the rectory for "young gentlemen".
					The Early church at Hedley
				The rectory some decades after Emily's father built an extra top storey for his school