Charlotte Godley

Charlotte Godley (14 November 1821 – 3 January 1907) was a New Zealand letter-writer and community leader.

Family She was born as Charlotte Griffith-Wynne in Voelas House (subsequently demolished) in Denbighshire, Wales in 1821. She was the daughter of Charles Griffith-Wynne, MP for Caernarvonshire (1830–1832) and his wife, Sarah Hildyard, the daughter of Rev. Henry Hildyard. Charles Wynne was her brother. They had four daughters: Rose (born in New Zealand shortly before they left), Eleanor, Mary, and Margaret; the three younger girls were born in England after 1853. The only son was Sir Arthur Godley, later created Baron Kilbracken.

After spending a fortnight in Dunedin Harbour the ship sailed for Port Cooper (Lyttelton Harbour) and dropped anchor off Lyttelton on the morning of 12 April 1850. This including the ship stopping to take soundings off the coast during the journey. They left in late 1852. While in Wellington, Lyttelton, and Riccarton, Mrs. Godley wrote letters home to her mother in Wales, which were published much later (posthumously) as Letters from Early New Zealand. The letters described Māori customs, local fashion, earthquakes, society ways in Dunedin, and details of meals, household management, and the climate.

Later life Charlotte Godley was widowed in 1861, and died more than forty years later, in London, age 85. Arthur Godley's daughter Eveline wrote a remembrance of Charlotte Godley, included in the private 1936 edition of her grandmother's letters.