We study the spectral data for the higher direct images of a parabolic Higgs bundle along a map between a surface and a curve with both vertical and horizontal parabolic divisors. We describe the cohomology of a parabolic Higgs bundle on a curve in terms of its spectral data. We also calculate the integral kernel that reproduces the spectral data for the higher direct images of a parabolic Higgs bundle on the surface. This research is inspired by and extends the works of Simpson [21] and Donagi-Pantev-Simpson [7].