Born 29 March 1872 at Scarborough, third child and eldest son of the Rev John Augustus Leicester, a priest of the Church of England who held no regular living, and his wife Charlotte Eliza Holdich. He was educated at Dulwich College and University College, London, where he took honours in physiology

The Trotter family has long been settled in Gloucestershire, where it had an honoured connexion with the Baptist Church. Wilfred Trotter was born in London on 3 November 1872, the son of Howard Birt Trotter of Coleford, Gloucestershire, and Frances Lewes, his wife. His early years were spent at Cole