« Reply #6 on: Tuesday 13 March 18 19:19 GMT (UK) »
The 1861 census shows him as being a ship's carpenter, whch, in the days of wooden sailing ships, could entail his being away at sea.
This website has the 1881 crew list database of all British ships.
I see there are some with the surname Henning. As most official British records were required to state full name, he might not be noted as Charles/Charlie/Chas but that name would be reflected as an initial "C" for a middle name.
The logs are displayed as images, which is a bit of an eye strain.
https://www.mun.ca/mha/1881/crews1881.php
Aberdeen: Findlay-Shirras,McCarthy: MidLothian: Mason,Telford,Darling,Cruikshanks,Bennett,Sime, Bell: Lanarks:Crum, Brown, MacKenzie,Cameron, Glen, Millar; Ross: Urray:Mackenzie: Moray: Findlay; Marshall/Marischell: Perthshire: Brown Ferguson: Wales: McCarthy, Thomas: England: Almond, Askin, Dodson, Well(es). Harrison, Maw, McCarthy, Munford, Pye, Shearing, Smith, Smythe, Speight, Strike, Wallis/Wallace, Ward, Wells;Germany: Flamme,Ehlers, Bielstein, Germer, Mohlm, Reupke