Golding was born in Newquay, Cornwall, England on 19 September 1911. He grew up in Marlborough, Wiltshire. His father, Alec Golding, was a schoolmaster at Marlborough Grammar School. Golding and his older brother, Joseph, went to their father's school. In 1930, Golding went to Brasenose College at the University of Oxford. He studied Natural science and then English literature there. Golding graduated with an MA in 1935.