Hi Chris, I have found a reference to a Joseph Stebbing (rather than Stebbings,) a prominent mathematical and nautical instrument maker who was on the Southampton Borough Council in 1849. In the 1850's he lead a local campaign to maintain Southampton's status as a mail terminal for the Americas, as there were concerns that the extension of the railway lines further to the southwest meant that Southampton would be bypassed and mail would pass through Plymouth and falmouth. To further this claim, the Southampton Chamber of Commerce was formed under the leadership of Joseph Stebbing hope this helps? Martin (sourced from Southampton, an Illustrated History by Adrian Rance)