Born at Halifax in Yorkshire, and, being left an orphan at the age of 4 years, was brought up by his grandfather, Mr Harris, a retired Army Surgeon who practised at Croydon. Bottomley received a good education and entered the combined hospitals of St Thomas’s and Guy’s. He entered into partnership with his grandfather, and throughout his life kept up a close connection with Guy’s Hospital and its staff. He was found dead in bed on Saturday, September 25th, 1868, and his partner, Dr W F Coles, stated at the inquest that in spite of severe fainting fits he had performed his ordinary duties to the last. He belonged to the National Association formed to elevate the position of general practitioners and establish a separate college for their benefit. Finding that the movement was not being run on proper lines, he convinced the members of the association that they were taking a suicidal course. It was mainly by his courage and determination that the association came to nothing, although it had numbered ‘thousands’ of members.