Barking and District Historical Society

Surgeon, Soldier, Statesman, Spy:
The life of James Paroissien (1784-1827)

The following note appeared in the June 2010 edition of the Essex Record Office's e-bulletin:


James Paroissien was born in Barking to a French Huguenot family. In 1806 he sailed for South America, where he joined the liberating army and fought to free Chile and Peru from Spanish control. In 1822 he returned to Europe to seek recognition for the  independence of the newly liberated states. He returned to South America in 1825 to set up operations for a mining company, which unfortunately went bust, leaving him ruined and sick. He died at sea on his way back to England to clear his name. Papers  relating to his life including his journals and a great deal of correspondence, were collected by his family and deposited at ERO. They have recently been catalogued under the reference D/DOb and give a fascinating account of life in South America in  the early 19th century. Full details are available on Seax.