Date

Activity

30.7.1829

Born

1830

19.9.1831

Birth of his brother William Rolleston

1832

1833

1834

1835

1836

1837

1838

1838

Unknown, 1839

Rolleston able to read Homer; enters Gainsborough’s Queen Elizabeth grammar school

1840

Unknown, 1841

Enters Collegiate School at Sheffield

1842

1843

1844

1845

8.12.1846

Rolleston wins open scholarship and matriculates at Pembroke College, Oxford, came into residence following term

1847

1848

1849

December 1850

Rolleston awarded first class degree in classics at Oxford

27.6.1851

Rolleston elected to Sheppard fellowship in law and physic (which he holds till 1862) [some sources say 1850, this is from DNB 1885-1900]

October 1851

Rolleston begins studies in medicine at St Bartholomew’s in London

Unknown, 1851

Death of Rolleston’s mother

Unknown, 1851

Rolleston is elected Fellow of Merton College

1852

Rolleston meets A.H. Layard at breakfast with Henry Crabb Robinson [according to Tylor’s Life]

Unknown, 1853

‘Proceeded’ MA at Oxford

Unknown, 1854

Rolleston qualifies as MB at Barts

Unknown, 1855

Rolleston appointed as physician at British civil hospital at Smyrna during closing period of Crimea War, afterwards he tours Palestine

By June 1856

Rolleston back from tour of Palestine and returning to England [Tylor, Life]

1.11.1856

Rolleston and three other doctors submit report on sanitation etc at Smyrna

Unknown, 1856

Member of Royal College of Physicians of London

June 1857

Rolleston returns to England

Unknown, 1857

Rolleston is assistant physician at Hospital for Sick Children, London for eight months

Unknown, 1857

Rolleston appointed Lee’s Reader in Anatomy replacing Henry W. Acland; and physician at Radcliffe Infirmary, Oxford

Unknown, 1857

Rolleston obtains Doctor of Physic

1858

Unknown, 1859

Rolleston elected as fellow at the Royal College of Physicians, London

1.6.1860/ 6.6.1860

Darwin writes to Rolleston asking him to reserve rooms for him near college [presumably for BAAS meeting, which Darwin does not attend], it is clear Rolleston had asked Darwin to stay with him See here

30.6.1860

Famous BAAS debate at which Rolleston was present

Unknown, 1860

Rolleston appointed first Linacre professor of physiology

Unknown, 1860

Rolleston joins Ethnological Society

2.3.1861

Darwin writes to Rolleston see here

7.3.1861

Darwin writes to Rolleston see here

16.4.1861

Rolleston writes to Darwin see here

1.9.1861

Rolleston writes to Darwin see here thanking him for copy of 3rd edition of Origin of Species

5.9.1861

Darwin writes to Rolleston saying his letter was gold mine, see here

21.9.1861

Rolleston marries Grace Davy

Unknown, 1861

Rolleston publishes ‘On the affinities of the brain of the orang utang’ in Natural History Review and ‘On the Homologies of the lobes of the liver in mammalia’, ‘On some points in the anatomy of insectivora’ and ‘On the anatomy of the Pteropus’ in BAAS Reports

24.1.1862

Rolleston reports his results on ‘brain classification’ to the Royal Institution meeting

5.6.1862

Rolleston elected Fellow of the Royal Society

21.6.1862

Birth of Rolleston’s first child Humphry Davy Rolleston (1862-1944)

Unknown, 1862

Rolleston relinquishes Sheppard fellowship [see 1850]

Unknown, 1862

Rolleston publishes ‘On the Aquiferous and Oviductal System in the Lamellibranchiate Molluscs’ with Charles Robertson in ‘Phil.Trans’

Unknown, 1862

Rolleston sides with Huxley in another debate about evolution at the BAAS meeting in Cambridge

Unknown, 1863

Rolleston chairs BAAS Biological section at meeting at Newcastle [Tylor, Life]

9.1.1864

Rolleston writes to Charles Lyell see here

Unknown, 1864

Moseley studies under Rolleston? (or 1865)

?January 1865

?Rolleston excavating at Barton Abbey farm [see here

Unknown, 1865?

Rolleston visits North Court, Abingdon to excavate two skeletons

Unknown, 1866

Rolleston publishes ‘On the Placental Structures of the Tenrec ... Trans. Zool, Soc.

26.1.1867

Rolleston writes to Vice Chancellor advocating relocation of University archaeological and anthropological collection to new gallery adjoining OUMNH

28.2.1867

Birth of Rolleston’s son George Lancelot Rolleston (1867-?)

Unknown, 1867

Rolleston becomes vice-president of the temperance organization UK Alliance [but see below Tylor Life unknown 1868]

Unknown, 1867

Rolleston first takes public part in Temperance movement

Unknown, 1867-1870

Rolleston carries out excavations at Frilford, see below for some specific dates

21.2.1868

Rolleston excavating at Frilford

17.3.1868

Rolleston excavating at Frilford

1.4.1868

Rolleston excavating at Frilford

5.8.1868

Rolleston addresses annual meeting of British Medical Association at Oxford

24.9.1868

Rolleston excavating at Frilford

28.9.1868

Rolleston excavating at Frilford

30.9.1868

Rolleston writes to Charles Darwin about evolution and human mental organization See here

Unknown, 1868

Death of Rolleston’s father

Unknown, 1868

The Rollestons move to Park Grange in South Parks Road near museum. Before that they lived at 15 New Inn Hall Street

Unknown, 1868

Rolleston publishes ‘On the Domestic Cats of Ancient and Modern Times’ Journal of Anatomy

Unknown, 1868

Rolleston delivers address on physiology to the annual meeting of the British Medical Association at Oxford

Unknown, 1868

Rolleston becomes Vice-President of UK Alliance [temperence] [Tylor Life, but see above unknown 1867]

3.8.1869

Herbert Fisher writes to George Rolleston offering a mummy from Prince of Wales for ‘Ethnological Department’ of the University Museum

3.9.1869

Birth of Rolleston’s son William (1869-?)

20.4.1870

Rolleston writes to Darwin see here

26.5.1870

George Eliot and George Henry Lewes were guests of George Rolleston

21.12.1870

Rolleston visits Abingdon Union Workhouse to inspect skeletons found there

Unknown, 1870

Rolleston publishes Forms of Animal Life

Unknown, 1870

Rolleston publishes ‘On the Homologies of Certain Muscles connected with the shoulder-joint’ Trans. Linnean Society

22.2.1871

Rolleston writes to Darwin see here

30.4.1871

Rolleston’s daughter Violet dies

15.11.1871

Rolleston gives speech calling for Officers of Health to be appointed when carrying out drainage work to Oxford Local Board

Unknown, 1871

Rolleston visits Greece and Turkey [Tylor, Life]

Unknown, 1871

Rolleston chairs BAAS Biological section at meeting at Liverpool [Tylor, Life]

22.3.1872

Rolleston sends Professor Eichwald of St Petersburg some archaeological objects including stone tools, and an urn

July 1872

Vedda ethnographic objects and photos sent from Ceylon to Rolleston by BF Hartshorne

6.11.1872

S.J. Whitmee sends ethnographic objects to Rolleston

Unknown, 1872

Rolleston elected fellow of Merton College, Oxford

Unknown, 1872

Rolleston publishes ‘On the development of the enamel in the teeth of mammals’ Quarterly Journal Microscopal Society

25.2.1873

Birth of another son John Davy Rolleston (1873-1946)

25.7.1873

Rolleston receives natural history and ethnographic objects from Pacific from W.G. Lawes and Joseph King [missionaries]

July 1873

Lt. S.C. Holland gives Pacific and Patagonian objects to Rolleston

31.7.1873

Rev THT Hopkins of Magdalen College, Oxford sends ethnographic objects to Rolleston

31.10.1873

Rolleston receives ethnographic objects from Niue from W.G. Lawes

November 1873

Cutter of London [dealer] sends Rolleston 2 Bogota Indians skulls

Unknown, 1873

Rolleston gives Harveian oration, Royal College of Physicians

10.2.1874

Rolleston arranges for Pacific objects to be purchased from auction of items collected by W.G. Lawes in Reading

7.5.1884

Rolleston gives address on the Examination System to St Mary’s Hospital [Tylor Life]

15.5.1884

Rolleston gives memorial address for John Phillips in Oxford [Tylor Life]

2.6.1874

Rolleston sends ‘servant’ to see TJ Hutchinson’s collection of Peruvian skulls etc in London, later Hutchinson offers ethnographic objects for sale

2.7.1874

W. Wyatt Gill sends Rolleston an axe and other objects from Pacific

31.8.1874

Ethnographic objects presented by Joseph King to Rolleston

November 1874

Rolleston involved in negotiations to buy collection of Swiss Lake Dwelling material from the Bernese government

around November 1874

Rolleston receives objects found at Hissarlik by BF Hartshorne

Unknown, 1874

Rolleston gives evidence to the commission inquiring into the practice of experiments upon living animals. He was in favour of vivisection ‘under fitting restrictions’

13.4.1875

Rolleston reads paper on the people of the long barrow period to Anthropological Institute [Tylor Life]

9.6.1875

Tylor awarded DCL, the Tylors stay with the Rollestons during award ceremony

July 1875

Rolleston digging at Cissbury, Sussex?

30.8.1875

Rolleston sends Darwin a copy of his address to BAAS anthropology section see here

2.9.1875

Darwin writes to Rolleston about decrease in savage populations see here

23.11.1875

Rolleston reads paper on animal remains found at Cissbury at Anthropological Institute.

By 1875

Rolleston member of the Council of the University

Unknown, 1875

Rolleston is University of Oxford’s representative on General Medical Council from this year as member of the Council of the University

Unknown, 1875

Rolleston and Lane Fox serve on Anthropometric Committee of the BAAS

Unknown, 1875

Rolleston and Lane Fox collaborate over finds at Cissbury, Sussex

Unknown, 1875

Rolleston is president of the Anthropology section of the BAAS meeting at Bristol

Unknown, 1875-1876

Rolleston examines / excavates graves at Yarnton

5.8.1876

Rolleston receives ethnographic objects from Lawes

18.8.1876

Rolleston sends Darwin copies of three of his anthropological papers see here

24.8.1876

Darwin writes to Rolleston see here

23.11.1876

Rolleston excavating at Yarnton [see above]

29.12.1876

Rolleston writes to Darwin about anthropology see here

Unknown, 1876

Rolleston publishes account of 'an examination of three Long Barrows situated near the little village of Nether Swell, in the county of Gloucester.'

9.5.1877

Rolleston writes to Darwin about human cranium see here

17-23.7.1877

Pitt-Rivers and Rolleston digging at Sigwell, Somerset

Around 2.9.1877

Pitt-Rivers and Rolleston digging in Sussex at Mount Caburn

15.9.1877

Birth of Rolleston’s youngest child, Christopher Rolleston

18.9.1877

Rolleston sends some items from Lawes collection on to Canon Tristram

7.10.1877

Rolleston is in Lausanne, writing to friends [Tylor Life]

9.10.1877

WSM D’Urban sends collection of stone tools from Devon to Rolleston

Unknown, 1877

Rolleston purchases natural history and ethnographic collections from New Guinea from W.G. Lawes

Unknown, 1877

Rolleston publishes British Barrows with Canon Greenwell

Unknown, 1877

Rolleston publishes ‘On the Domestic Pig in Prehistoric Times’ Trans Linn. Society

Unknown, 1877

Pencil drawing of him by William Edwards Miller is completed, now in National Portrait Gallery

16.8.1878

Rolleston writes to Darwin about prehistoric animals see here

9.1.1879

Rolleston gives paper in Glasgow on changes produced by man in British indigenous fauna and flora

12.5.1879

Rolleston gives lecture at Royal Geographical Society ‘The Modifications of the External Aspects of Organic Nature produced by man’s interference’

August-September 1879

Rolleston tours Germany, Denmark and Sweden with Lane Fox

2.1.1880

Rolleston publishes letter in Times about jade tools in Switzerland

May 1880

Rolleston serves as member of Commission set up to consider Pitt-Rivers offer of his collection to the nation

September – October 1880

Lord Antrim donates Irish collection of stone tools etc to University via Rolleston

Winter 1880

Rolleston spends winter in Mediterranean, visiting France, Italy, Corsica, because of ill-health

December 1870

Rolleston visits Florence with Sir William Gull and Henry Acland

Unknown, 1880

Rolleston and Pitt-Rivers carry out excavations of barrows at Rushmore

13.1.1881

Rolleston in Genoa, address in letter to Muller in Oxford [Tylor, Life]

9.6.1881?

Rolleston repatriated from Paris, near to death

16.6.1881

Death of George Rolleston; Henry Nottidge Moseley is appointed to replace him as Linacre Professor of Physiology

1884

Posthumous publication of Rolleston’s Scientific Papers and Addresses