John became Head Organist of Westminister Abbey in 1621. Sir John Parsons was recorded as Lord Mayor of London in 1704 while Humphrey Parsons was Lord Mayor of London in 1731. John Parsons, was a physician who received his M.A. from Christ Church of Oxford in 1766, and his M.D. in 1772. In 1776, he was the first Professor of Anatomy for Oxford. In 1845, he was elected to the House of Lords, being one of its members for many years.
Parsons is a purely south of England name.
It is represented in most of the southern counties, but its great home is in Wilts, whilst it is also numerous in most of the counties around this centre, namely, in Somerset, Dorset, Hants, Oxfordshire, and Monmouthshire. The numbers are proportional for every 10,000. The number system is explained fully in Chapter I of Mr. Guppy's book. Williams, from England, deserted from the Royal Navy, settled at Diamond Cove where he changed his surname to Parsons.