Christian was born in 1764 at the family home of "Moorland Close", near Brigham, Cumbria. He was one of 10 children of Charles Christian and Ann Dixon. He could trace his ancestry back to William the Conqueror. The name Christian is an English way of saying the Manx name "McCrystyn". Fletcher's mother came from Cumberland and he was named after his grandmother, Mary Fletcher. After his father died, Christian went to sea. He was 18 years old. He was a sailor on the ship 'Cambridge'. William Bligh was also on the ship. Christian later sailed on two trips with Bligh to Jamaica on the ship 'Britannia'.