William George Henderson was born on June 25, 1819, in Harbridge, Hampshire, England.

He was a clergyman, educator, and historian. He was educated at Wadham and Magdalen Colleges, Oxford (B.A., 1840; M.A., 1843; D.C.L., 1853; D.D., 1882). He was a Fellow of Magdalen College, Oxford (1846-1852) and a Tutor at Durham University. He was a Master of Hatfield College, Durham (1851-1852), Headmaster of Victoria College, Jersey, Channel Islands, and Leeds Grammar School. He was ordained in 1859. He served as Dean of Carlisle from 1884 to his death in 1905. Henderson was also a scholar who edited various liturgical works.

He married Jane Melville Dalyell. Their son was George Francis Robert Henderson (1854–1903), a British soldier and military author. He died on September 24, 1905.