Francis Vernon succeeded his brother, George Francis Augustus, as 9th Baron Vernon in 1915. Earlier that year he had married Violet Miriam Nightingale, daughter of Col. Charles Herbert Clay. They had daughter, Avice Irene, and a son named John Lawrance who would succeed his father as 10th Baron Vernon. Francis was educated at Eton. He served as a Commander in the Royal Navy, and a Deputy Lieutenant for Derbyshire.