John Ferneley Junior was born in 1815, at Melton Mowbray, the son of the sporting artist John E Ferneley (1782-1869) and his first wife Sarah. His brother Claude Lorraine Ferneley (1822-1892) and sister Sarah Ferneley (1811-1903) also became artists.

He lived with his family at Elgin Lodge, in Melton Mowbray and was taught art by his father who became a great influence on his work. John Ferneley Snr would take him on painting trips to London as well as Durham and York. By 1839, he had left Leicestershire and moved to Malton in North Yorkshire to set up on his own, in part prompted by the number of patrons in the area.

In addition to painting sporting scenes and horse portraits for wealthy landowners he also produced a series of paintings for the 7th (Princess Royal's) Dragoon Guards and the 4th Royal Irish Dragoon Guards. Later on, he moved to Hulme near Manchester where he married Rachel Strickland on 3 November 1846. After the death of his first wife, he married Mary Wilcox (nee Jones) a widow from Cheshire on 21 October 1856. Together they lived at 7 Barrack Street, Hulme where he was to remain for the rest of his life.

He died in Manchester on 10 September 1862 just two years after his father.