Claude Lorraine Ferneley was born in Melton Mowbray, Leicestershire. He was the son of John E. Ferneley, one of the best-known equestrian painters of the early nineteenth century and was trained largely by his father. Sources suggest he often assisted with backgrounds and copies of his father's paintings, which means some works attributed to the Ferneley studio can be difficult to distinguish stylistically.
His unusual first name came from his godfather, Claude Lorraine Smith, a sporting patron and landowner; the name also echoes the great French landscape painter Claude Lorrain.
His life and artistic output coincide with a dynamic era in British art, a time when numerous artists were exploring landscapes, portraits, and scenes from daily life. Although his name might evoke that of the renowned French landscape artist Claude Lorrain, Ferneley distinguished himself as an artist with his own unique identity.
Although he is somewhat overshadowed by his father's reputation, his work is often admired for his accurate horse anatomy atmospheric countryside settings.
The British Museum holds one of the most interesting surviving records of his work: a sketchbook filled with horse studies, hunting scenes, military subjects, landscapes, and copies after Old Masters. The sketches date from roughly 1844-1849. The British Sporting Art Trust also owns at least one work by him, including a portrait of his father painting in the studio at Elgin House in Melton Mowbray.