Charles was a son of William Hambling (1803-1838) & Hannah Allen (1812-1875). His father died when he was 2, in Dalford, Chipping Norton at the age of 35. His mother next married Shadrach Harrison (1820-1875) in 1844.

Charles married Ann Cummins Prattley in Fifield, Oxfordshire on 31 May 1858
their children
. born in Oxfordshire .
1859 - 1903 Annie Hambling (+Ebbett)
1860 - 1935 Levi Hambling (+Hawken)
1862 - 1947 Emma Hambling (+Fuller)
1866 - 1911 Leonard Hambling (+McMahon)
1869 - 1935 William Hambling
1870 - 1904 Ellen Hambling (+McKenzie)
They emigrated to New Zealand on the 'Winchester' leaving 2 May 1874, arriving in Napier 26 July 1874

Anne died 10 years later, in April 1884 and Charles returned to England. In Gloucestershire, on 6 Oct 1884, he married Ann's half-sister Sarah Pratley (a twin).
NOTE Ann & Sarah had the same mother, Elizabeth Cummins, but not the same father. Ann Cummins (1839) was born to an unnamed partner, 5 years before she married William Prattley and her name became Ann Cummins Prattley.
Two months after their marriage, on 4 Dec 1884, they sailed from Gravesend for NZ. Sarah had obviously already booked a passage to NZ prior to her marriage in Oct 1884 and subsequently is on the passenger list under her maiden name. With them was Sarah's 15 year old daughter *Elizabeth Prattley (1869-1952) & another of Sarah's sisters, Mary Jane Prattley (1854-1938) who didn't married. They arrived in Wellington 20 Jan 1885. Their first child was born in Woodville on 13 Dec 1885
their children
. born in Woodville .
1885 - 1969 Amy Hambling (+Hamlin)
1886 - 1960 Ellis Charles Hambling (+Towers)
1888 - 1893 Eli Raymond Hambling (age 5)
1889 - 1970 Edward James Hambling (+Atwood)
1890 - 1952 Ruth Hambling (+McVicar)
1891 - 1891 George Hambling (age 10 weeks)
1892 - 1974 Herbert John Hambling (+Thornton)
1894 - 1894 Elsie May Hambling (age 8 months)

Some short extracts from The Farthest Promised Land
https://nzetc.victoria.ac.nz/tm/scholarly/tei-ArnFart-c13.html
.. Charles wrote: Dear brother, since I wrote to you last I have got two horses of my own, and a light four-wheeled trap. We call it an express here, with which I take goods and parcels, and remove furniture about the town, to and from the port and station. Some days I earn £1 a day. I have not earned less than £5 a week since I began last April, so you see we are getting on all right, and now I have made another speculation — it is in land. About thirty-five of us have formed ourselves into a society, and have bought of the Government about 2,500 acres of bush land at £1 per acre, and we are allowed seven years to pay it in. We pay 9d per acre quarterly. We have divided the land among ourselves, and mine is nearly 100 acres, and it is the best land in the province of Hawke's Bay. It is about 100 miles from Napier, that is, half way to Wellington. It is a new township called Woodville and our land is going to be called the Woodville Small Farm Association. There is a good road from Napier to there, and from there to Wellington. There will be three railways to meet at that township when finished - the Napier, Wellington, and Wanganui Railways - and that will make our land very valuable in a few years. Some of the men have gone to begin clearing theirs, and I have two men clearing for me. I must have ten acres cleared and fenced - and a cottage to live in at the end of two years; and clear and fence ten more acres in the next two years; after that we can clear it when we like
.. To conclude our account of this small farm settlement we will briefly recount a few episodes from the experience of and his family in the decade after he left his carrying 'speculation' in Napier for his land 'speculation' at Woodville. The Hawke's Bay Almanack for 1878 shows that Charles Hambling served for a time as a Methodist Free Church lay preacher at Woodville. However, in 1879 Primitive Methodists from the Manawatu began sponsoring cottage meetings at Woodville and Charles Hambling threw in his lot with them. When they built Woodville's first church in 1881, he became its Sunday School superintendent.
By 1882 he had freeholded his 98 acre block in the settlement, and it was valued at £490 (equivalent in 2009 to $73,517). His eldest son Levi, who appears as a carpenter at Woodville, also owned 40 acres of freehold worth £334. In 1882 Charles's eldest daughter, Anne, was married at her father's house to John Harris Ebbett, the coastguard's son from St. Keverne in Cornwall, now a painter in Woodville.
Levi Hambling remained with the Methodist Free Church congregation, and in 1882 took the contract to build them a church to plans drawn by Joseph Sowry. The first wedding in the building took place on 1 January 1883, when Levi Hambling was married to a colonial-born girl.
When the railway at last reached the town in March 1887, Charles Hambling promptly returned to the carrying business which he had found so lucrative in Napier, and began running an express to and from the Woodville station.

Woodville Examiner, 28 Sep 1894
HAMBLING - At his residence, Oxford Road Farm, on Tuesday, September 27th, Charles Hambling; aged 68 years.

Obituary The death occurred at his residence Oxford Road, yesterday morning of Mr Charles Hambling, an old and well-known settler in the Woodville district. The end was not unexpected as Mr Hambling had been in very frail health for some time and had been compelled to relinquish active participation in business pursuits.
Mr Hambling was one of the earliest settlers in this district. He was born in Oxfordshire and came to New Zealand in 1874, first taking up his residence in Napier. He resided there for four years and then came to Woodville, where he carved out a home for himself on Oxford Road. Mr Hambling, by dint of hard work and perseverance, made the Oxford Road farm one of the finest in the district. Mr Hambling was twice married, his first wife dying in 1884. He had six children by his first wife, four of whom survive him, the eldest being Mr Levi Hambling of Woodville. Most of the second family are grown up and are fortunately able to take over their father's business.
The late Mr Hambling engaged for many years in the occupation of carrier and his was a familiar personage to most travellers passing through Woodville.

Woodville Examiner, 30 Sep 1894
The funeral of the late Mr C. Hambling took place yesterday and was largely attended. Prior to the body being removed from the house, a short service was held by the Rev Mr Bowie. The same gentleman also conducted the service at the graveside.

Wairarapa Daily Times, 1 Oct 1904
Mr C. Hambling, one of Woodville's oldest settlers, died at 'Oxford Farm' on Tuesday last. He leaves a large family to mourn his loss. He will be well remembered by travellers from Napier in the early days when the train only came as far as Makatoku, as the owner of 'Skylark' and 'Darkie; two horses which drew the brake up hill and down dale to the call of their master's voice. Mr Levi Hambling, of this town, is a son of deceased.
Mrs Greening, of Pinfold-road, passed away on the same day of heart disease. Both funerals took place on Thursday.