Lyde was born in 1825.[1] He obtained a degree in 1848 after studying at Jesus College, Cambridge and in 1851 he was awarded an M.A, took holy orders as a clergyman of the Church of England and became employed as a fellow of Jesus College.[2] Poor health, according to Lyde, prevented him from "exercising the duties of his profession in England, at least during the winter months" and, therefore, in the winter of 1850/1851 he made "the usual tour" of Egypt and Syria.[3] While on the "tour", he decided, because of his health, to settle permanently in Syria, then a part of the Ottoman Empire.[3] While visiting Beirut, the British consul suggested to him that he could occupy his time by working as a missionary to the Alawites,[3] also known as Nusayris, a secretive mountain sect who later provided two of modern Syria's leaders: Bashar al-Assad and his father, Hafez al-Assad.[4]