Background
Born in 1814, the son of the late Royal Navy captain Abraham, of Farnborough, Hampshire, he was educated at Eton and King"s College, Cambridge and was later a Fellow.
Born in 1814, the son of the late Royal Navy captain Abraham, of Farnborough, Hampshire, he was educated at Eton and King"s College, Cambridge and was later a Fellow.
Eton College.
Foreign other people called Charles Abraham, see the Charles Abraham navigation page
He was admitted to the degree of Bachelor in 1837, Master of Arts (Cantab) in 1840, Bachelor's Degree in 1849, and received the degree of Doctor of Divinity in 1859. He was ordained deacon in 1838, and priest in the following year. He was Assistant Master at Eton until 1850, when he went out to New Zealand to become Master of the English department of Street John"s College, Auckland.
In 1853 he was appointed Archdeacon of Waitemata by George Selwyn, Bishop of New Zealand.
In 1857 a convention of churchmen was held in Auckland, which resulted in the framing of the Constitution now in force. In the following year Abraham, who had also been acting as chaplain to the bishop, was appointed first Anglican Bishop of Wellington by John Sumner, Archbishop of Canterbury and William Wilberforce, Bishop of Oxford and John Lonsdale, Bishop of Lichfield.
When the Maori War broke out by reason of the purchase by the Government of the Waitara block, Abraham presented a protest to the Governor, claiming for the Maoris as British subjects the right to be heard in the Supreme Court. This office he held until Selwyn"s death in 1878.
From 1872 to 1876 he was Prebendary of Bubbenhall in Lichfield Cathedral, and in 1875-1876 was rector of Tatenhill, Staffordshire.
From 1876 he was Canon and Precentor at the cathedral. She died in 1877. Abraham is the author of "Festival and Lenten Lectures in Saint George"s Chapel, Windsor," 1848-1849 (Parker), and other works. He died on 4 February 1903.