ABSTRACT
22 November 1635
Birth of Francis Willughby at Middleton, Warwickshire.
Educated at Sutton Coldfield School where William Hill was Master.
1653
Enters Trinity College, Cambridge, under the tutorship of James Duport who had formerly been tutor to John Ray.
1655–56
Graduates BA, Trinity College, Cambridge.
21 May 1657
Admitted to Gray’s Inn.
1659
Graduates MA, Trinity College, Cambridge.
Late 1650s
Notes on joint chemistry experiments with John Ray, dated between 29 November 1658 and March 1659, recorded in his Commonplace Book.
25 February 1660
Ray asks Willughby for assistance with data from Warwickshire and Nottinghamshire for a catalogue of British plants.
1660
Visits Oxford to consult works in the University library.
1660
Ray in his Catalogus Plantarum circa Cantabrigiam alludes to help received from Willughby and to his success in the study of insects.
August 1660
Accompanies Ray on a first trip north through Yorkshire, then into Cumberland across to Isle of Man returning to the Wyre estuary, Pilling Moss and Garstang and south through Lancashire.
1660
James Duport dedicates his Gnomologia Homeri to Willughby and three others.
1661
Ray’s second botanical expedition, accompanied by Philip Skippon, but not by Willughby (pace Lankester 1846: 131).
20 November 1661
Wilkins at the Royal Society reads letter from Willughby concerning insects. Proposes Willughby for membership.
714 December 1661
Admitted to the Royal Society.
26 March 1662
Barrow writes to Willughby in response to his observations on mathematical questions.
8 May–16 June 1662
Accompanies Ray and Skippon on journey from Cambridge through Wales, collecting samples of Welsh words as well as botanical specimens and other observations. Parts company with them in Gloucestershire, where he inspects a hoard of Roman coins near Dursley.
1 October 1662
Willughby, apparently at his first meeting of the Royal Society, conducts experiment concerning snake’s eggs.
8, 15 October 1662
Attends meetings of the Royal Society; demonstrates the mathematical efficiency of planting trees in a quincuncial figure; produces a whiting’s head to demonstrate movable skin over eyes, following discussion of snakes.
10 April 1663
Passport issued from Whitehall in favour of Francis Willughby and Nathaniel Bacon with two servants.
18 April 1663
Embarks on Continental journey with Ray, accompanied by Philip Skippon and Nathaniel Bacon. War with France dictates that they travel via Flanders, and thence through Germany, Switzerland, Italy, Sicily and Malta.
29 May 1663
Visit in The Hague to the home of Christiaan Huygens, currently in England; is shown his pneumatic engine and telescope.
22 July 1663
Received by the Prince Palatine in Mannheim.
Winter 1663–64
Attends anatomy lectures at Padua.
12 January 1664
Receives certificate of matriculation in University of Padua. While in Padua acquires volume of specimens of dried plants.
9 March 1664
Wilkins proposes that Willughby and his companions be asked to make a detour to Teneriffe to make certain experiments on behalf of the Royal Society, for which directions and the necessary instruments are to be dispatched.
30 March 1664
List of various committees of the Royal Society includes Francis Willughby on the Committee for Histories of Trades.
April 1664
Willughby and Bacon travel on separately from Ray and Skippon, who remain in Naples. Willughby later visits Rome, collecting fish illustrations.
31 August–mid-November 1664
Willughby journeys through Spain.
Early 1665
Returns home, possibly on hearing news of his 72father’s failing health. His fellow travellers remain on the Continent until April 1666.
4 January 1665
Attends meeting of Royal Society: produces account of astronomical observations on the Continent.
Late March 1665
Experiments on the rising of sap in birch trees at Middleton.
May–June 1665
Attends various meetings of the Royal Society: present at experiment concerning the breeding of mites in eggs; seeks advice on instruments for conveying smoke to destroy mites; offers specimens of egg affected by lime; testifies to Wilkins’s account of an experiment involving dissection of a dog.
5 October 1665
Barrow replies to correspondence from Willughby on mathematical questions, including motion.
7 December 1665
Death of Sir Francis Willoughby, his father.
June–July 1666
Present at several meetings of the Royal Society: provides specimens of Bononian stone; nominated with others to act in support of Hooke’s astronomical observations; among those contributing observations on solar eclipse; proposes experiment on water newts following observations on salamanders; proposes enquiry about specimen of ‘stone’ cut from a womb.
20 October 1666
Wilkins writes to ask Willughby’s assistance in enumerating and defining plants and animals for his ‘Real Character and Philosophical Language’.
Winter 1666
At Middleton with Ray, arranging his natural history collections and working on Wilkins’s project.
28 March 1667
Wilkins presents to the repository of the Royal Society specimens of a substance taken by Willughby from a shellfish.
27 June 1667
Present at meeting of the Royal Society: provides observations on coal seams, in connection with discussion of tin ore and mineral deposits.
25 June–13 September 1667
Tours south-west England with Ray, travelling through Worcester, Gloucester, Cornwall, Dorset, Hampshire, and collecting natural history specimens. Material since lost included a list of Cornish words.
11 January 1668
Named among those from whom Wilkins is to solicit support in connection with a new building for the Royal Society’s college.
January 1668
Marries Emma Barnard, second daughter and coheiress of Mr (later Sir) Thomas Barnard. Establishes household at Middleton Hall.
731668
Wilkins in the Preface to his Essay towards a Real Character acknowledges a debt to Willughby for his work on animals, and to Ray for his on plants.
13 September 1668
Birth of first son, Francis.
1668–71
References to Willughby’s health in his daughter’s later account mention violent fevers; for relief he drinks the waters at Astrop Wells, and visits Sir Job Charlton’s at Ludford near Ludlow to drink the Cleehill waters.
September 1668–March 1669
At Middleton, with Ray a regular visitor. Activities include further experiments with motion of sap in trees.
April 1669
Willughby falls seriously ill while visiting Wilkins at Chester. Witnesses the dissection of a porpoise at Chester with Ray and Wilkins.
29 May 1669
Writes to Oldenburg, enclosing report of experiments made with Ray on the motion of sap in trees; letter read at meeting of the Royal Society on 10 June 1669.
21 June 1669
Writes to Oldenburg with further thoughts on the circulation of sap and its relation to theories of motion. Following discussion by the Royal Society on 8 July 1669 he is asked to continue his investigations and is sent a paper describing experiments by Wren and Rooke.
23 July 1669
Continues correspondence with Oldenburg about experiments concerning motion and a natural history enquiry.
20 January 1670
Oldenburg writes to Willughby on the suggestion of Wilkins to seek his opinion on specimen of worms found wrapped in leaves.
29 January 1670
Writes to Oldenburg, with box of insect specimens: replies to enquiry concerning worms wrapped in leaves; reports his observations of spiders in September 1669; mentions expectation of having Wilkins’s company and assistance in experiments on ‘the noble theory of motion’. Letter reported to Royal Society meeting on 10 February 1670.
17 February 1670
Oldenburg sends specimens to Willughby for opinion.
12 March 1670
Willughby writes from Middleton to Oldenburg about circulation of sap in trees; requests thermometers and barometers.
19 March 1670
Oldenburg replies to Willughby, apparently including an account of Tonge’s work on spiders.
16 April 1670
Willughby at Middleton sends notes to Oldenburg 74containing observations on sycamore trees, black poplar and the walnut, together with his thoughts on dwarf oaks and stellar fish.
23 April 1670
Birth of daughter, Cassandra.
28 April 1670
At Wollaton with Ray, who writes to Lister.
5 May 1670
Meeting of Royal Society directs that a specimen of a worm wrapped in leaves be sent to Willughby; Oldenburg sends specimens and other enquiries on 17 May.
7 June 1670
Writes from Middleton to Oldenburg, mentioning recent return from London and responding to questions about effect of the moon on living creatures and the vegetable world and other points.
29 June 1670
Again at Wollaton with Ray, who writes to Lister about botanical specimens and reports Willughby’s comments on spiders.
4 July 1670
Writesfrom Middleton to Oldenburg, correcting a mistake in the Philosophical Transactions account of their report on sap in trees.
19 July 1670
Writesfrom Middleton to Oldenburg, confirming meaning of Lister’s report on sap in trees.
19 August 1670
Writesto Oldenburg from Astrop, Northamptonshire, home of his Leigh relatives, with account of his investigation of bees in rose leaf cartridges. Letter reported to meeting of the Royal Society on 27 October 1670.
2 September 1670
Writesto Oldenburg from Middleton with further progress of his study with Ray of bees hatching from maggots in rose leaf cartridges. Letter and specimen rose leaves reported to meeting of the Royal Society on 27 October 1670.
1670–71
Holds office of sheriff of Warwickshire.
22 December 1670
Letter from Lister to Ray refers to Willughby’s general poor health and recent recovery from attack of illness.
13 January 1671
Willughby and Ray both write letters to Oldenburg from Middleton; their accounts of the hatching of bees and of acid spirits in ants were presented to the Royal Society on 19 January; Oldenburg replies to Willughby on 21 January with details of their reception.
10 February 1671
Death of Sir William Willoughby of Selston. Will in Willughby’s favour prompts protracted litigation by other claimants.
Spring 1671
Ray at Middleton, suffering from jaundice.
16 March 1671
Writes from Middleton to Oldenburg; gives account 75of further trials on movement of sap in trees. Letter reported to meeting of the Royal Society on 27 April 1671.
21 April 1671
Writes to Oldenburgfrom Middleton; corrects report of 16 March 1671 and adds further comments on relative capacities of different trees for transmitting water. Letter reported to meeting of the Royal Society on 27 April 1671.
13 May 1671
Oldenburg sends Willughby a specimen of a twig with insect eggs attached, as directed by the Society on 30 March.
10 July 1671
Writes to Oldenburg from Middleton with account of the hatching of bees collected previously in rose leaf cartridges at Astrop, Northamptonshire.
24 August 1671
Writes to Oldenburg from Middleton with observations made with Ray on the life cycle of the sort of wasps called vespæ ichneumones. Letter reported to meeting of the Royal Society on 2 November 1671.
Mid-September 1671
Willughby makes one of apparently two brief meetings to Lister in York.
18 November 1671
Willughby and Ray both in London.
23 November 1671
Royal Society requests that Ray (present at the meeting) and Willughby experiment to test report of maggots grown large through special method of feeding.
Late 1671
Considers a journey to America, but is prevented by ill health.
9 April 1672
Birth of second son Thomas.
8 May 1672
Willughby at meeting of the Royal Society comments on Lister’s observations of hair worms and promises to send dissection details of fishes, birds and mammals in which he had found worms.
3 June 1672
Willughby falls seriously ill.
24 June 1672
Makes his will.
3 July 1672
Death of Francis Willughby at Middleton Hall, followed by burial in Middleton church.
