Hi Frances

Thanks for this but are we sure it's the same person. I have a dob of 1846 and 1850 is a big difference. One or two years of confusion could be understood but surely Samuel and Margaret would know their son's age within a couple of years. And a person would know their own age within a couple of years.

Also, why would they change their name from Stuart to Stewart? Could this be the reverend making an assumption? My family are catholic (although that may not have always been the case). Could this be a link?

You mention that Elizabeth was very young but I have a record that she was born in 1850 (a similar age to James) and her first registered child in 1875 (when she was 25, although perhaps others had died before then).