Copied from David’s 2 messages 17 Feb:

”The Robert Henry Corkill, son of Robert and Elizabeth Christian was christened in Malew. Both his parents shown living in Malew.
This Robert is with his grandmother on 1861 and 1871, and is shown as born Malew. I think he is a lodger with the Quayle family in Conchan shown born Onchan in 1881.”

******
This is the RC referred to in David’s message:
1881
Ballakaighin, Onchan

Robert Corkhill lodger unmarried 24 farmer of 40 acres employing 1 man, b Onchan.

so I think that this RC in Onchan is a different person.

**********
Here’s a possible RC b 1856, son of Eliz Christian:

1881
Fishing at Kinsale, boat “E M”
Robert Corkill unmarried 23 labourer b Malew, residence Malew.
In this boat there were 8 men and only one was a fisherman. The others were: a shoemaker, a farmer and 5 labourers. Presumably they went out to sea to supplement their incomes when opportunities arose.

*******
I’ve looked through the Corkill listings in the 1851 census index in order to get a rough estimate of the percentage who lived in Malew/Castletown. I reckon circa 5%, ie very few.

All we know about the Manx origins of Susan’s ancestor Robert Henry Corkill (policeman in Liverpool from 1884 onwards) is his approximate birth year (1857), his father’s name and occupation (Robert Henry Corkill, a smith), and that he was born in Castletown.

There don’t appear to be any other boys named Robert Corkill b circa 1857 in Castletown/Malew in the 1861 and 1871 censuses ---- only the step-grandson of John Sayle (age 4 in 1861 and 14 in 1871) ie the illegitimate son of Elizabeth Christian.

So did Eliz Christian’s son grow up to be the policeman who married Maggie Joy ? My guess is “yes”.

The jury is still out on the identity of the father of Eliz Christian’s 1856 child. I still feel that there’s a small chance that he was RC b 1841, son of Lewis Corkill and Ann Quayle. I found a small piece of circumstantial evidence ---- in 1871 Lewis Corkill and his son Lewis, both blacksmiths, were living at 2 Hope Street, Castletown. At the adjacent property was Thomas Caveen, a police officer who was still there in 1881. Could it be that Lewis had a grandson, Robert, who was influenced by Thomas Caveen and decided to enrol in the police force ?

Jean C