Hello Donna and Brian
thanks for your responses.

I was aware of the information you provided but have not so far taken this Alice onboard because of the following situation:

An Alice M M Kermode was christened in May 1970 in K.German. Parents James and Eleanor.

At the 1871 IoM Census, an Alice M Kermode was aged 11 months, therefore b1870. Parents James and Ellinor (sic).

At the 1881 IoM Census, Alice Maud Kermode was aged 10 years, therefore born c1870. Parents James and Ellen (sic).

These three must be the same Alice but she is 3 years younger than the one I'm looking for. The above Alice does not appear in the 1891 and 1901 Censuses for the IoM, but the one I'm looking for is in the England Censuses:

At the 1891 England Census, Alice aged 24 therefore b1867, is married to Allan Gorry (the surname is mistranscribed as Garry), lives in Liverpool, and has three children the oldest being Catherine b1887 in Peel: the other two were born in Liverpool.

At the 1901 England Census, Alice aged 34 therefore b1867, (and surname again mistranscribed to Garry) is still in Liverpool, and now has five children.

I have birth certificates for three of the children born in Liverpool each confirming that Alice was a Kermode, but have not been able to locate a certificate for Catherine, born in IoM. The BMD indexes for England to do not throw up an entry, nor have the IoM registries been able to find one. Similarly, the BMD indexes in England have not thrown up a record of Alice's marriage to Allan, and the IoM registries are equally bare.

So what would it be reasonable to do? Assume that the 1891 and 1901 Censuses have the wrong age for Alice, and accept the nominally younger one as my ancestor? Or keep taking the search pills?

regards
Alan Gorry