He was born on 30 May 1797 at Westport, Ireland, where his father held a curacy, the only son of Walter Shirley, by his wife Alicia, daughter of Sir Edward Newenham. After his ordination on 7 August 1820 he took charge of the parish of Woodford, Northamptonshire, one of the livings held by his father.
At the age of nine Shirley was placed under the care of the Review Legh Richmond; but was soon moved to a school at Linton in Essex. He became a scholar of Winchester College in 1809, and six years later was elected to a scholarship at New College, Oxford, where he became a Fellow in 1818.
In 1821 he became curate of Parwich in Derbyshire.
He acted as chaplain at Rome in the winter of 1826-1827, and during his residence there he became intimately acquainted with Christian Karl Josias von Bunsen and Thomas Erskine, as well as with Charles Lock Eastlake and David Wilkie. He took possession of his new home in January 1828.
After nine years" residence at Shirley he accepted the living of Whiston, near Rotherham, which he held jointly with Shirley. He gave up the former cure two years later, when he was appointed to the incumbency of Brailsford, a parish adjoining that of Shirley.
In 1829 he alienated some of his friends by his outspoken advocacy of Catholic emancipation.
In later years he estranged others by refusing to support measures against the Tractarians. His own upbringing and views were evangelical. He was made Archdeacon of Derby by the bishop of Lichfield on 21 December 1840.
In November 1846 he was appointed Bishop of Sodor and Manitoba by Lord John Russell.
But because of a serious illness he was not consecrated until 10 January 1847. He had been elected Bampton lecturer for that year, but lived only long enough to deliver two of the lectures of his course.
He died at Bishop"s Court, Isle of Manitoba, on 21 April 1847.
