Humphry Davy was born in Penzance, Cornwall, to Robert Davy, a woodcarver, and Grace Millett. His humble beginnings in a coastal town steeped in mining tradition would later profoundly influence his career, particularly his work on miner's safety.

At the age of 17, Davy was apprenticed to a surgeon-apothecary, John Bingham Borlase, in Penzance. While ostensibly learning medicine, this apprenticeship provided him with access to a rudimentary laboratory and the freedom to pursue his growing fascination with chemistry, conducting experiments and devouring scientific literature.