Born on 2 March 1871 at Huyton, he was educated at Liverpool University and University College Hospital graduating in 1893, after which he held house appointments at Liverpool Royal Infirmary. Later he became a demonstrator of anatomy and surgical tutor. He settled in Harrogate in 1894 and commenced general practice, being appointed to the staff of Harrogate Infirmary in 1905. While at University College Sharpey had fired his interest in physiological research, and in 1907 he passed the Membership examination of the Royal College of Physicians. In 1916 he became a consulting physician and gave up general practice. His whole professional career was centred on the Harrogate Infirmary; he was chairman of the building committee of the new hospital, of which he was deputy president till 1959 although he retired from the active staff in 1936. He was a town councillor of Harrogate 1919-22, president of the Yorkshire Branch of the BMA in 1918, and president of the Leeds and West Riding Medico-Chirurgical Society. A member of the Harrogate Medical Society from 1895, he was its president in 1905 and again in 1939. He was a devotee of winter sport at St Moritz, in particular of skating and curling, and in summer a keen golfer. He was twice married: his first wife died in 1939, leaving two sons and two daughters; one son was killed in the war of 1914-18 and the other is a doctor in the Royal Navy; one of his daughters also qualified in medicine. He married again in 1945, and died on 7 April 1963 at the age of 92.