John William Colenso first Anglican bishop of Natal

Anglican Diocese of Natal

The Anglican Diocese of Natal covers the western part of the South African province of KwaZulu-Natal, west and south of the Tugela and Buffalo rivers. The episcopal leader of the diocese is the Bishop of Natal.-History:...

, mathematician

Mathematician

A mathematician is a person whose primary area of study is the field of mathematics. Mathematicians are concerned with quantity, structure, space, and change....

, theologian, Biblical scholar and social activist.
Colenso was born at St Austell

St Austell

St Austell is a civil parish and a major town in Cornwall, England, United Kingdom. It is situated on the south coast approximately ten miles south of Bodmin and 30 miles west of the border with Devon at Saltash...

, Cornwall

Cornwall

Cornwall is a unitary authority and ceremonial county of England, within the United Kingdom. It is bordered to the north and west by the Celtic Sea, to the south by the English Channel, and to the east by the county of Devon, over the River Tamar. Cornwall has a population of , and covers an area of...

, on 24 January 1814. His father (John William Colenso) invested his capital into a mineral works in Pentewan

Pentewan

Pentewan is a coastal village and former port in south Cornwall, United Kingdom. It is situated at three miles south of St Austell at the mouth of the St Austell River....

, Cornwall, but the speculation proved to be ruinous when the investment was lost following a sea flood. His cousin was William Colenso

William Colenso

William Colenso was a Cornish Christian missionary to New Zealand, and also a printer, botanist, explorer and politician.-Life:Born in Penzance, Cornwall, he was the cousin of John William Colenso, Bishop of Natal...

, a missionary in New Zealand.

Family financial problems meant that Colenso had to take a job as an usher in a private school before he could attend University.