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.