Thank you for looking into this Jean and Frances. I am not sure where I got the information she was born from Rushen from, so think we put that aside for now.

I have just looked through all of the IGI christening records for possibilities (and as an aside – the updated FamilySearch site drives me nutty. Trying to find a birth and having to trawl through hundreds of birth records where the person is the mother not the child, or it doesn’t find alternative spellings is annoying to say the least. Is there a better place online to search through IGIs?).

Narrowing down years for christenings to 1793 to 1804, I found 7 possibilities for Eleanor Cannell nee Watterson.

Elinr Watterson
Christening Date: 14 Apr 1799
Christening Place: Arbory, Isle of Man
Father: Jno Watterson
Mother: Cathne Curphy

Elinr Waterson
Christening Date: Jan 1804
Christening Place: Arbory, Isle of Man
Father: Thos Waterson
Mother: Mary Cla*

Elinr Watterson
Christening Date: Jan 1804
Christening Place: ARBORY,ISLE OF MAN,ENGLAND
Father: Thos Watterson
Mother: Margt Juke

Elr Waterson
Christening Date: 16 Jul 1795
Christening Place: Rushen, Isle of Man
Father: Wm Waterson
Mother: Margt Christian

Elr Waterson
Christening Date: 31 Jan 1802
Christening Place: Rushen, Isle of Man
Father: John Waterson
Mother: Elizth Gawn

Elr Waterson
Christening Date: 02 Jul 1797
Christening Place: Rushen, Isle of Man
Father: Henry Waterson
Mother: Cath Waterson

Elinor Waterson
Christening Date: 08 Feb 1795
Christening Place: Braddan, Isle of Man
Father: Tho Waterson
Mother: Elizabeth Cubon

I think Jean is correct that we can rule out the first, d/o John Waterson and Catherine Curphy.

Possible husbands for the other Eleanors. Unfortunately none had fathers names listed.

William Kewley 08 Aug 1818 Braddan – issue Jane (1826), John (1833), Sarah (1836), William (1831), Cath (1828),
Thomas Hutchin 08 Dec 1818 Arbory- issue Catharine (1823), James (1825), Thomas (1820)
Thos Gale 25 Jan 1824 Malew, Isle of Man (?Gell – issue Joseph Scott (1834),
John Shimmin 14 Feb 1824 Rushen – issue Sarah (1831), Catharine (1834), Robert Daniel (1828), Robert Donald (1836), John (1825),
Thomas Moore 08 Jul 1820 Rushen – issue John (1834), Robert (1829) (is wife Anne Eleanor Watterson?), William (1827)

I couldn’t find the Eleanor Moore living at Ballafesson/Surby. Were the children the same as above? In fact, I couldn’t find any of the other families above in the census.

There are two of the christenings from Arbory, but not convinced they aren't the same one, both christened Jan 1804 with parents Thos Watterson and Margaret Juke or Thos Watterson and Mary Cla*. This would mean she was 18 when she married. What do you think?

I have had a look at the Wills on line and nothing sheds any more light. Does anyone have access to the MIs to see if there is more information on there?

Any thing else I could try. You are right, it really is a mystery.

Thanks for your help
Lisa