Humphrey Lyons was born Hampshire, England in 1802, the ninth of twelve sons of John Lyons of Antigua and St Austin's , Hants, (1760-1816) and Catherine (1763-1803) (née Walrond), daughter of Maine Swete Walrond, 5th Marquis de Vallado.
He went to India where he entered the 23rd Bombay Native Infantry on May 25th, 1817.
He married in 1824 Eliza Bennett (d.1859), and had the following children:
- Edmund Willoughby Lyons, (1830-1889), Colonel, Indian Army
- Algernon McLennan Lyons, (1833-1908), Admiral of the Fleet, R.N.
- Charlotte Salter Lyons, married 1859, Alexander Learmonth, and had issue
- George Maughan Lyons, (1835-1878), Major, Indian Army, d.s.p.
- Minna Louisa Lyons, married 1858, Jameson Alers-Hankey, and had issue
Humphrey married secondly in 1860, the Hon. Adelaide Matilda Yelverton (d.1884), daughter of the 2nd Viscount Avonmore .
Humphrey Lyons reached the rank of Lieutenant-General and died in 1873, having returned to England.