Francis Collins Barlow was born in 1876 in Upper Penn, Staffordshire, to a family of wealthy Millers; both his father, Harry Barlow, and his grandfather, John Chamberlain Barlow were Master Millers, employing numerous other millers.
By 1883 he was one of eight children and the family employed a Governess, Nurse, Cook and Housemaid. Francis was at boarding school in Tewkesbury, Herefordshire in 1891, aged 14yrs.
He was named after his unmarried uncle, Collins Barlow, a Miller, who when he died in 1898, left estate of £100041 8s 2d, (worth £13m in 2020) to Francis's father. When his father, Harry Barlow, died, 2 years later, in 1900, his estate of £146634 15s 3d. was worth £18m in 2020.
Francis did not go into the family business and appears to have followed a legal career.
In 1916, aged 40yrs, he married Helen Rosemary Anslow in Brighton, Sussex, he was a Solicitor's Clerk and they lived at Windermere, Windsor Road, Worthing.
In 1917, on 1st April, Francis signed up for war service with the Royal Flying Corp., joining as a Clerk and later becoming a Mechanic. Francis Collins Barlow died aged 42yrs, on 25th February 1919, at the Seabrook Nursing Home, Queen's Road, Worthing.