| 1726 | Born, 14 June at Downing, Whitford |
| 1744 | Matriculated at Queen's College, Oxford |
| 1746 | Undertook his first tour: visited Cornwall |
| 1754 | Elected a Fellow of the Society of Antiquaries |
| 1757 | Elected a Fellow of the Royal Society |
| 1759 | Married Elizabeth (died 1764) daughter of James Faulkner, Chester. Two children: Sarah and David. David later shared his father's interests. |
| 1765 | Undertook and wrote the European Tour (published in 1948). |
| 1766 | British Zoology |
| 1771 | Employs Moses Griffiths for the first time: Tour of Scotland |
| 1773 | Genera of Birds |
| 1776 | Thomas Gainsborough painted his portrait |
| 1777 | Married Anne, daughter of Sir Thomas Mostyn, Mostyn Hall. Two children: Sarah & Thomas |
| 1778 | Tour in Wales |
| 1781 | History of Quadrupeds |
| 1784 | Elected a Fellow of the Royal Academy of Sciences, Stockholm |
| 1785 | Arctic Zoology |
| 1791 | Elected a Fellow of the American Philosophical Society, Philadelphia |
| 1793 | Literary Life |
| 1796 | History of Parish of Whiteford and Holywell |
| 1798 | Two volumes of Outlines of the Globe (the rest published posthumously by his son David) |
| Died 16 December at Downing |
