Hall was born in Kington, Herefordshire, England, eldest son of Walter Hall, glover (later a miller), and his wife Elizabeth Carleton, née Skarratt.
He was educated in Kington and Taunton, Somerset.

Hall arrived in Sydney on 14 February 1852 with his two brothers, Thomas Skarratt Hall and James Wesley Hall with little money.
Hall was employed for a short time by David Jones Limited and  then prospected for gold in Victoria with meagre success.
From 1857 he was a major investor and administrator of the Australian stagecoach line Cobb and Co. He was also an original shareholder and director of Mount Morgan Gold Mining Company Limited, incorporated in 1886.
Other directorships included the Mercantile Mutual Insurance Co. Ltd, and the Sydney Meat Preserving Co. Ltd.
Hall was born in Kington, Herefordshire, England, eldest son of Walter Hall, glover (later a miller), and his wife Elizabeth Carleton, née Skarratt. He was educated in Kington and Taunton, Somerset.
Hall arrived in Sydney on 14 February 1852 with his two brothers, Thomas Skarratt Hall and James Wesley Hall with little money. Hall was employed for a short time by David Jones Limited and  then prospected for gold in Victoria with meagre success. From 1857 he was a major investor and administrator of the Australian stagecoach line Cobb and Co. He was also an original shareholder and director of Mount Morgan Gold Mining Company Limited, incorporated in 1886. Other directorships included the Mercantile Mutual Insurance Co. Ltd, and the Sydney Meat Preserving Co. Ltd.
Walter Russell Hall