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Hi BallyaltikilliganG , Thank you for all that information.

I agree with you that the 1861 England Census appears to be a different family.

Thanks also for the 'heads up' on the 1863 Griffiths valuation (& the links to those websites) - no way of knowing if there is any connection though. JHB's son's appear to be named after his 'Best Man' at his marriage and then his Father/brothers  that I have names for, but no "Andrew" with his other 2 sons, so it seems unlikely.(see below)

You have found the correct person on the 1871 & 1881 Census (which was on HMS Hector), but I have been unable to find him on the 1891 Census which was 4 days before his wedding.
He was serving aboard HMS Duke of Wellington at that time (from 1st April 1891 until 2nd June 1891) although he had just been transferred from HMS Hibernia (from 25th November 1888 until 31st March 1891) so he may have been on leave and somehow avoided the Census ('inebriated'?)
On the 1901 Census he was a 'Naval Pensioner' in Portsmouth and had all his 5 sons by then, he died in 1906.

I have his Naval Records and they show he signed up as a "Boy 2nd Class" to HMS(?) Endymion  on 20th January 1871 and signed up (on HMS Audacious) for his 10 year ticket as "Ordinary Seaman 2nd Class" on 1st January 1873 - still assigned to the Endymion.

I believe he narrowly avoided going on the 1875/76 British Arctic Expedition when they decided not to take dedicated Signalmen (I believe he was on the preliminary crew list). The expedition was noted as suffering badly from Scurvy with 4 deaths, although it was rated a success overall. (HMS Discovery & HMS Alert)

I've included this extra information because the significance of some of it may have escaped my attention so if anything strikes you please let me know. Thanks again for your help. 

James Hamilton Blakely 1855-1906   Children: George Alfred James Blakely 1892-1917
m. 1891 Southsea                                          William John Blakely 1893-1976
Esther Stagg 1858-1944                                  Leonard Robert Blakely 1895-1965
                                                                     Harry Albert Blakely 1898-1972
                                                                     Frederick Valentine Blakely 1900-1975

have a blakely family tree going back to 1768 if its helpful to anyone

Hi Mary, my Great-Grandfather was James Hamilton Blakely (born 16 May 1855 in Bangor, Co Down), he joined the Navy and ended up in Portsmouth. I think he had at least 2 brothers: Robert & William, who were probably both older than him. His father Robert may have been a 'cab man'.
I have the family tree of all his (James') many descendants but no information at all about his family in NI...

~ If the family tree you mention may be connected at all that would be very helpful to me