Woodbine Parish facts for kids

Woodbine Parish

Sir Woodbine Parish was an important British diplomat, explorer, and scientist who lived from 1796 to 1882. He traveled a lot and helped Britain make friends with new countries. He was also very interested in science, especially old bones and rocks!

Life and Adventures

Sir Woodbine Parish was born in London in 1796. He went to a famous school called Eton College. After finishing school, he started working as a diplomat in 1814. This was right after a big war where Napoleon was defeated at the Battle of Waterloo.

Early Diplomatic Work

In 1815, he went on a trip to help bring back the old royal family to the Kingdom of Naples. Later that year, he worked with Lord Castlereagh in Paris. They helped write the important Treaty of Paris, which was a peace agreement.

Working in Argentina

In 1823, Sir Woodbine Parish became a top British official in Buenos Aires, Argentina. His job was to represent Britain and build good relationships with the new country. In 1825, he signed a special agreement called the Treaty of Friendship, Commerce, and Navigation. This treaty officially recognized Argentina as an independent country, which was a very big deal at the time! He stayed in Buenos Aires until 1832.

Exploring the Andes

Sir Woodbine Parish wasn't just a diplomat; he was also an explorer. With another explorer named Joseph Barclay Pentland, he helped map large parts of the Andes mountains in Bolivia. They did this important surveying work between 1826 and 1827.

Scientific Discoveries

Sir Woodbine Parish loved science, especially geology (the study of rocks) and palaeontology (the study of fossils). In 1839, he wrote a book called Buenos Ayres and the Provinces of the Rio de la Plata. This book talked about the geology of the Buenos Aires and Río de la Plata areas.

He also wrote about his amazing discoveries of giant mammal fossils. He found bones of a huge, ancient animal called a Megatherium. These bones were put together and displayed at the Natural History Museum in London. Sir Woodbine Parish was a member of several important science groups, like the Royal Society and the Royal Geographical Society. He even wrote letters to the famous scientist Charles Darwin!

Later Life

From 1840 to 1845, he worked as a main official in Naples. He lived in a place called Quarry House in St Leonards-on-Sea, Sussex, until he passed away in 1882.

Family

Sir Woodbine Parish was married twice. He had five sons and three daughters with his first wife, Amelia. Later, he married Louisa Ann and had two more sons and one daughter. One of his sons, William Douglas Parish, became known for studying old things.