Charles Duke Yonge was born in Eton, Berkshire on 30 November 1812.
He was the eldest of eight children to the Reverend Charles Yonge (1781–1830) and Elizabeth Lord (?–1868).
At age eighteen, he became a foundation scholar at King's College, Cambridge between 1831 and 1833.
On 17 May 1834, he attended St. Mary's Hall, Oxford, a dependency of and later incorporated into Oriel College.
He was a professor of history and English literature at Queen's College, Belfast from 1866.