Charles Wigg was born in Liverpool and was the fourth child and the fourth son of John and Martha Maria Wigg. In 1847 his father was described being as an accountant and estate agent with offices in Liverpool and Birkenhead. On 29 April 1847 Charles married Georgiana Bird Burrell in St Michael's Church, Aigburth, when he was described as being a merchant. When John &amp; Thomas Johnson, brothers and soap manufacturers from Runcorn, established an office in Liverpool in 1859, they appointed Wigg as the export agent for their trade with America. His younger brother, George, was a financial agent for the Confederate Government during the American Civil War. Possibly through this connection, the Johnson brothers attempted to run the Union blockade to supply materials to the Confederates. They succeeded in passing one ship through the blockade, as a result of which they made a profit of £70,000 (equivalent to £ as of ). However, when they attempted to repeat the attempt with more ships, they lost them all in a naval battle at Charleston. They had overcommitted themselves, and this led to their eventual bankruptcy. The business was floated as a public company in 1865, and was known as the Runcorn Soap and Alkali company. Wigg played a part in establishing this company and became the Company Secretary, holding 250 shares.