Hi Olliecat,
Many thanks for that. Red herring or not, it is one I'll follow up. If there is a connection between Boys Firmin & Andrew Steedman then it is likely to be on Boys' mother's side, Edith Partridge, rather than his father's side, JNF. Edith was living in Cape town when she married JNF in 1822.
Will let you know how I get on - many thanks once again.
Kind regards,
John.