Inglis was born to Nicholas Langlois and Marie Pressot in 1571. Langlois was a schoolteacher who later became Master of the French School in Edinburgh, and Pressot was a skilled calligrapher. Both of her parents hailed from France, though it is uncertain as to when they moved to Edinburgh, Scotland. Some sources claim they moved around 1569 after fleeing from France as Protestant refugees, while others claim it was not until after the St. Bartholomew's Day Massacre around 1574. Some sources also claim that Langlois became Master of the French School in Edinburgh in 1574, while others claim it was not until around 1580. In March 1580 James VI gave Nicolas Langlois and Marie Pressot £80 Scots to help their debts, contracted two years earlier.