 He was born at Coolmine House, Clonsilla, Co. Dublin in 1805, the son of Alexander Kirkpatrick (1749–1818), of Coolmine House and the ancestral seat of the Kirkpatricks, Drumcondra House, Co. Kildare.His mother, Marianne (1769–1835), was the daughter of George Sutton (1737–1800), Alderman and Sheriff of Dublin.He came to Upper Canada in 1823.