BREWER, CHARLES BABINGTON (1816-68) was a son of T. G. Brewer, a London barrister, and brother-in-law of H. S. Chapman (q.v.). He was a barrister of the Middle Temple (1838) and was appointed crown prosecutor at Melbourne (1839). Arriving at Bay of Islands in Feb 1840, he attended a meeting of white settlers to consider the formation of a joint stock banking company and he was a member of the provisional committee. In Apr he attended a meeting in Sydney of people interested in New Zealand. A few months later he attended a meeting of land claimants at Coromandel and acted as their agent in Sydney. After the separation of New Zealand from New South Wales Brewer was appointed clerk of the peace at Auckland and registrar of the court of requests (3 Aug 1841). He was one of the commissioners appointed by the governor to inquire into the affray at Wairau (1843) and he was appointed a county court judge at Nelson and shortly afterwards a commissioner of the court of requests for the Southern division (Dec 1844). During FitzRoy's governorship Brewer went to Tasmania and then to New South Wales. In 1862 he was appointed a county court judge and he served in that capacity and as mining judge at Geelong, Portland, Colac, Sale and Beechworth. He died on 14 Jan 1868. An elder brother, WILLIAM VINCENT Brewer, who was also a barrister, arrived in New Zealand at the same time and acted with him as agents for the New Zealand Association in respect to land claims. He was shot in a duel with another lawyer (Ross) at Wellington on 26 Feb 1844.

Crown Law Office, Melbourne; Ward; Sherrin and Wallace; N.Z. Journal, 28 Sep 1844.

Reference: Volume 1, page 63

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