Dowsett was born in London. He contributed to The English Review, The Telegraph, The Morning Post and The Times.[1] In 1883, Dowsett joined the Civil Service in New Zealand but soon resigned and took up wild-game hunting.[2] Dowsett hunted big-game in Africa, Albania, Canada, Iceland and New Zealand. He described his experiences in his book Big Game and Big Life, published in 1925. A review in The Geographical Journal concluded that "the book is quite interesting, and in some parts distinctly amusing, though perhaps a little egoistical."[3]
In 1942, Dowsett authored The Romance of England's Forests a well-illustrated book dealing with forests of England through the ages.[4]