He was the child of a stylist and wig producer

In London's Covent Garden neighborhood, Joseph Mallord William Turner was born in 1775. Although he stated it was April 23, it is not known with certainty when he was born. He was the child of a stylist and wig producer William Turner and his wife Mary Marshall to live to maturity. Turner was given the name of Brentford, Middlesex, butcher Joseph Mallord William Marshall, who was his maternal uncle.

His parents welcomed Mary Ann as a second child in 1778, but she passed away in 1783. Mary Marshall battled mental illness daily. Turner was transferred to live with an uncle when he was eleven years old because of his mother's mental instability. Her health deteriorated when her daughter passed away, and in 1800 she was checked into the famed mental hospital Bethlem Hospital, often known as Bedlam. On April 15, 1804, she passed away there. Turner's father resided with him in his final years and served as his cook, gardener, and studio coworker.