The artist was the son of a merchant trader in the Baltic trading market, and was born and brought up in Bideford, Devon.

A student in St Ives with Norman WILKINSON, he visited Paris in 1900 with him and Reginald Guy KORTRIGHT. Tovey also records his social activities in St Ives in 1901, in the theatricals and choral singing.  In 1907 he is also referenced as painting the scenery for the theatricals at St Ives (noticed as Hugh, and also Percy, in index)

His addresses for exhibiting purposes are the following: Swansea 1886 and 1892; Bideford, Devon 1891, 1896 and 1914, with London coming in-between at 1903. In this period his main exhibition venue was the Walker Gallery at Liverpool, but also a few elsewhere.