He was admitted to Lincoln's Inn in 1751 and proceeded to Trinity College, Cambridge in 1752,[6] graduating in 1756 as the second Chancellor's classical medallist[7] and becoming a fellow in 1757.

[6] From the mid-1770s Impey and his wife hired local artists to paint the various birds, animals and native plants, life-sized where possible, and in natural surroundings.

[8] Not long after Impey's appointment, the shortcomings of the newly established system created problems for the administration in Bengal.

[6] In 1775 Impey became embroiled in the legal processes surrounding Maharaja Nandakumar, an Indian notable who accused Hastings of corruption.

Later, these allegations were repeated by historian Thomas Babington Macaulay in his essay on Hastings, which strengthened the popular perception of Impey as a partial judge.

[9] In 1790 Impey was returned to Parliament as the member for New Romney constituency and spent the next seven years as an MP before retiring to Newick Park near Brighton.

He had married on 18 January 1768 Mary, daughter of Sir John Reade, 5th Baronet, of Shipton Court, Oxfordshire; they had five sons.