Charles was born in Cardiganshire, Wales in 1821. He married Clara in 1851 and with her came 100 acres of the new colony of New Zealand, and more importantly Christchurch.
The Jeffery’s arrived in 1853 and took up their land in what was then called Fendall Town. These days we know that area as Fendalton. Sticking to his Welsh roots, Charles called his farm Bryndwr which means ‘on the brink of water’ in Celtic. Over time, Charles increased his land to 200 acres. Losing his first home to fire, Charles built the second Bryndwr Homestead that still survives today at 32c Glandovey Road. When he was building this home, Glandovey was nothing more than a dirt track that lead up to his farm. When Bryndwr was subdivided in 1881, it became a public road.
In 1888, Charles inherited his family’s land back in Wales due to his elder brother having no children. So the Jeffery’s sold up all their New Zealand interests and moved back to Wales permanently. As Bryndwr farm was cut up and sold off, a suburb of its own formed. Around the suburb of Bryndwr is proof of its Welsh past – streets names such as ‘Penhelig’, ‘Garrag’, “Plynlinmon” and “Idris’. Charles also has a road named after him too, Jefferys Road, off Clyde Road.
