he was the son of thomas sadler, unitarian minister of horsham in sussex, and was born there on 5 july 1822. he was educated at university college, london, studied for some months in bonn, and went on to the university of erlangen, whence he graduated ph.d. in 1844. he entered the unitarian ministry at hackney, but migrated in 1846 to become minister of rosslyn hill chapel in hampstead, london, where he stayed for the remaining 45 years of his life.