Background
He was the son of Alexander Stables, factor for Lord Cawdor, and later himself became factor.
He was the son of Alexander Stables, factor for Lord Cawdor, and later himself became factor.
In collecting he was often associated with Charles Bailey and William Lowndes Notcutt. The Compositae genus Scalesia was intended to commemorate the name "Stables", but the taxonomist Arnott mistakenly cited his name as "West. Scales Esq., Cawdor Castle, Elginshire", discovering his error only after publication in 1836, and noting in the margin of his description "His name is Stables - what a blunder!!!". And so the error remained.
He was President of the Nairnshire Farming Society for four terms between 1836 and 1866, while his father served as President in 1828.
On 19 May 1815 "a Savings Bank was established at Cawdor, with Mr Stables, factor for Lord Cawdor, as treasurer", referring to Stables" father. On 7 February 1856 in Elgin, William Alexander Stables married Margaret Alicia Dunbar (1 August 1827 – 23 July 1908), daughter of Sir Archibald Dunbar, 6th Bt of Northfield, Doctor of Laws, Justice of the Peace. Stables" marriage to Margaret Dunbar produced children.
Margaret was an assiduous correspondent.
He was a member of the Botanical Society of Edinburgh and collected extensively for a proposed Flora of Moray in the north of Scotland.