was born in 1832 in Camberwell, Surrey, England, the son of Charles Sutton and Elizabeth Cawthorne. In 1854 Charles travelled with his mother on the ship Ralph Bernal from London to New Plymouth in New Zealand. His father had migrated two and a half years earlier to the new settlement of New Plymouth.
Charles married Mary Ann Spurdle in New Plymouth in 1853. Their first child Elizabeth Annis Sutton was born in 1854, followed by two sons, Clement Laurence in 1856 and Frederick William (stillborn) in 1858. Charles was farming near New Plymouth when he married.
In 1860 hostilities broke out with the Maoris around the New Plymouth settlement and the Sutton family evacuated to Karaka south of Auckland. Charles joined the army and was stationed at Karaka (Drury) when Frederick was born. Charles was the Chief Supplies Officer with the Army. Drury was a significant staging area for British soldiers during the New Zealand Land Wars. At the conclusion of hostilities in the Land Wars the family moved back to New Plymouth where they owned a general store.
Mary Ann contacted scarlet fever and died in 1864. Charles and his two children shifted to Raglan where he subsequently married the widow of his neighbour, Mary Elizabeth Kescel (nee Wilson) in 1865. As indicated in the Obituaries published after Charles's death in 1905, he was noted for his coach service between Hamilton and Raglan, his extensive business and farming interests in Raglan, and the hotel at Waitetuna, half-way between Raglan and Whatawhata. Charles owned the Royal Hotel in Raglan. He had a retirement career as Raglan harbour master. Charles was buried in Raglan Cemetery with his son Herbert who drowned aged 26 during a yacht race in 1903. Mary Elizabeth, his second wife, is also buried in the same grave.
Obituaries
RAGLAN.
Mr Charles Sutton, snr, one of Raglan's oldest settlers, died on Saturday morning. He had been ailing a long time, but was about town two days previous to his death, which resulted from an apoplectic seizure. Deceased was a J.P., and held position of agent for the Northern S.S. Co. and wharfinger at Raglan. He leaves a widow (his second wife) and grown up family, consisting of Mr L Sutton of Whatawhata, and Mrs Mason of Newmarket, by his first wife and Messrs Arthur, Charles and Frank Sutton of Raglan and Mesdames Balford of Te Kopura and Richards of Ruakiwi, by his second. The funeral took place on Sunday and was largely attended.
Source: Waikato Times, 9 May 1905, Page 2.
Charles Sutton, who died a few days ago at Raglan, was one of the earliest pioneers of that district; one of the few who stuck to the place through thick and thin, and one of the still fewer who made money by it. Originally a maltster in the Old Country, he settled first in Mauku, but soon moved down the coast to the next opening below the Manukau, where he moored his Barque for good, in a manner of speaking. He was the sort of man made by Providence for tackling nature in the rough, and he neglected no means that promised to turn an honest penny. He was by turns a farmer, storekeeper, publican, steamer agent and wharfinger, and an active politician all the time. Candidates for the constituency embracing Raglan always made haste to conciliate Charley Sutton, and when once he was conciliated (if that is the right word) he worked like a nigger for his man.
But it was not in his character of a leading light in the political and commercial world of Raglan that Charles Sutton will be held in most affectionate remembrance. For many years he kept the little hostelry at Waitetuna, which is a half-way house between Raglan and Whatawhata, and the hospitality he dispensed at that picturesque spot was renowned far and wide. Charles and his wife were Devonshire folk, and had brought with them the secret of making the clotted cream of the western county. Also they were famous for fruit pies, and fruit pie with Devonshire cream - well, you don't know what it is like unless you have tasted it. The bar was quite a subsidiary affair at the Waitetuna pub in those halcyon days. Charles Sutton thought so little of it that he invariably shut it up on election days, and now and again he would let the licence lapse for a year. It didn't matter much, for there was no local option, and the sensible commissioners would always grant the licence again when asked.
And all the while Mr Sutton was busy felling the bush, and putting in grass, and rearing cattle, and other-wise attending to the Scriptural injunction to put money in his pouch. Also he was bringing up a large family, which is now pretty well spread over the district. The old hostel, with its garden and adjacent whitebait pool in the Waitetuna River, is now conducted by one of the sons, but whether the pies and the cream are still in evidence deponent knoweth not.
Mr Sutton must at the last have owned a pretty considerable share of Raglan town, for the hotel and store destroyed by fire a few days ago had come into his possession, and they were probably the last in a long list. A career like that of Charles Sutton ought to encourage people to go into the wilds.
Source: Observer, 13 May 1905, Page 4.
Note: Noeleen Sutton's research has shown "the Sutton family settled in New Plymouth first, then went to Drury. No record of Charles ever being a maltster has been found. He was about 13 when he came to NZ. He may have grown the grains on his property in Raglan. [or made home-brew!]. It is thought that the reference to them being Devonshire folk may refer to the reputation of the Devonshire Cream they served at the hotel. No records have been found for them living in Devonshire."
LOCAL AND GENERAL NEWS.
Mr Charles Sutton, J.P., one of the earliest Raglan settlers (wires our correspondent) died early on Saturday morning. He had an apoplectic seizure on the previous day and had been ailing for some months. The deceased was the Raglan agent for the Northern Steamship Company and also Wharfinger. He was an extensive property-owner here. He leaves a grown up family, nearly all of whom are resident in the district.
Source: New Zealand Herald 9 May 1905, Page 4.
[
2]
Chris Korte's New Zealand Genealogy Project
1832 - 1905 (72 years)
Has 2 ancestors and more than 100 descendants in this family tree.
[1, 2] 
: Address
: Location
: City/Town
: County/Shire
: State/Province
: Country
: Not Set
