Hi Sue,

Your message: 'David, are you certain it was the Port-e-Vullen Robert who married "Catherine (surname unknown) who was born Arbory"? Where did you see this record? Robert's age as 22 looks wrong in the 1851 census - see bapt 1826 above - but I can't see another family who fits the names given in the three censuses. There were other Robert Christians b.1826-1830 married to other people. There was one Robert b.1826 Maughold married to Agnes, but no marriages found after 1850 in Maughold for Robert with father Thomas. (Several Robert Christians with other-forename fathers.)'

Am I certain.. well I'm beginning to doubt myself!

What I definately have is a Robert Christian born Maughold somewhere between 1826 and 1833 who married a Catherine from Arbory. The 1861 census has him as 34 years old, therefore born 1827 or 1826 in Maughold. He is my this time married with a son called WIlliam who is 3.

In 1851 he (Robert) should be about 24 years of age. Probably not married, as his first born seems to have been William Joseph Christian who was 3 in 1861. The parishes he is most likely to be found in are Maughold (where he was born), Patrick or Malew (where he worked and lived as a miner in later years).

A search on Ancestry for 1851 reveals 2 Robert Christian's born Maughold c1826.
The first (aged 26) is married to Agnes (born Scotland), and they have a 1 year old Andrew.
The second (aged 22) is the son of Thomas and Margret and is unmarried.

Agnes and her husband crop up again in the 1861 census, so they must be a different couple, so that only leaves one possibility...