Hennell was born in 1814. She was a daughter of the Unitarian family of James and Elizabeth Hennell (born Marshall). Her mother had been born in Loughborough in the East Midlands in 1778 and had the maiden name of Marshall.
Her father was born in 1778 and he had become a partner in the Manchester merchants of Fazy & Company
Cara"s eldest sister was Mary and another sister was Sara Hennell.
The sisters are considered to be the basis for the fictional Meyrick family in George Eliot"s 1876 novel Daniel Deronda. In 1836, Hennell married Charles Bray. Bray wrote several books and text books for children including Physiology for Common Schools which explained the human body and its care to school children.
She was also an active supporter of the Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals in Coventry.
Cary died in Coventry and was buried there in 1905.
