James Parkerson

James Parkerson was a Norfolk poet whose works were printed in Norwich in the early 1800s. His 1806 collection, Poetical Works, brought together elegies, sketches from life, pathetic pieces, and poems written on the spur of the moment.

His writing often focuses on ordinary people facing difficult choices and consequences, with subjects ranging from financial ruin and imprisonment to grief, seduction, family life, and moral responsibility. He also wrote poems honoring the Norfolk Yeomanry and public figures of his day.

Although little biographical information about Parkerson has survived, his reputation reached beyond Norfolk. He is said to have been remembered by George Borrow, who reportedly drew on him for the character “Parkinson” in Lavengro.