1799 - placed at the grammar school, Durham.

1805 - entered the military college at Great Marlow in Buckinghamshire.

1807 - gazetted ensign in the 36th infantry regiment.

1816 - toured the continent with his wife.

1823 - met Sir Humphrey Davy.

1824 - began to attend lectures diligently at the Royal Institution.

1825 - admitted as a fellow of the Geological Society.

1826 - elected Fellow of the Royal Society.

1827 - travelled with Adam Sedgwick in the highlands.

1828 - travelled with Charles Lyell in the volcanic district of the Auvergne and in northern Italy.

1831 - elected president of the Geological Society.

1839 - The Silurian System published.

1846 - knighted.

1863 - made a Knight Commander (KCB).

1866 - made a baronet.