James to Ralph (G24 to G16)
The Confirmed Josselyn Line
As discussed earlier, I have assumed here (rightly or wrongly) that the family as listed in the 1999 and later editions of Burkes Peerage can be accepted with a reasonable degree of confidence.

This section therefore documents the early Josselyn story starting from James Josselyn (G24) (c. 1150) the first of the line listed in Burkes, until 1480. The earlier family history, which until recent years has been accepted as the truth, probably written in the 18th century, shows two generations between the probably mythical Geoffry (G27) and James (G24), William and Robert. I have not been able to verify the existence of either of these individuals and it is possible that they existed, however at this stage I am treating them as unproven.

While the Josselyns have been associated with both High Roding in Essex and the house of Hyde Hall near Sawbridgeworth since at least the early 13th century, there is little evidence of where they lived prior to that. Ralph Josselyn (G22) apparently held land in Easton, co. Northants, in the reign of John (1199-1216) and so the family may have originated there or in the Lincolnshire area.

One likely candidate for the first English Josselyn is Joscelin fitzLambert, a landowner listed in the Domesday book with extensive holdings in Lincolnshire. As the "Lord" of Josselyn of Sempringham, it could be that the family history was close to the truth?

Arms
From John Hallum's account:
In his published works, John Henry Josselyn records from a certified manuscript provided by the College of Arms that Armorial Bearings of the family of Josselyn are on record at the College as having been allowed at the Visitation of London 1633/4 to Thomas Joscelin of the 'Libertie of St Bartholomew the Greate.

Apparently by inheritance the family of Josselyn, residing mainly in Essex and Suffolk, have always used the same Arms as the family of Jocelyn, of Hyde Hall, Sawbridgeworth, Hertfordshire and of High Roding, Essex. In his works, John Josselyn has succeeded in establishing the point of connection of these two lines of the family. The Coat of Arms is engraved on a silver shield which, at the beginning of the 1900's, was in the possession of Josselyn of Bury St Edmunds.

By the rules of Heraldry, the various segments (or 'quarterings') of the shield are achieved by grants of Arms to the family itself and by incorporating the arms of females who marry into that family; thus the Josselyn shield comprises eight quarterings, namely two for Josselyn and a further six for other families united by marriage.

(The same quarterings are to be found appended to the pedigree of Jocelin, given in the Harleian Manuscript 6065, folio 138 in the British Museum.) The coat engraved on this shield has been shown to be that of Geoffry Josselyn, the second son of Geoffry Jocelin of Hyde Hall, and the grandson of Thomas, ancestor of the line at present headed by the Earl of Roden.

Josselyn Shield

Josselyn Shield

The Arms of Josselyn; the origins of the Quarters.
lst:JOSCELINAzure, a circular wreath argent and sable, with four hawks' bells affixed hereto in quadrangle or;
2nd:JOSCELIN Argent, a demi-lion rampant sable, ducally crowned or;
3rd:CHASTELIN Azure, a fesse or;
4th:BATTELL Gules, a griffin sergeant within a bordure engrailed or;
5th:ENFIELD Gules, an escutcheon argent within an orle of martlets or;
6th:HIDE Gules, on a saltire engrailed or five torteaux of the field, a chief ermine;
7th:PATMERE Argent, three escutcheons, two and one, gules;
8th:BAUDE Gules, three chevrons argent;
On the fesse point a crescent for difference.
CREST: A falcon's leg belled or, the thigh erased gules.
G24 to G15, ca. 1100 to ca. 1400
The lineage from G24 is included in the 1999 edition of Burkes Peerage, indicating that the editor Charles Mosley was reasonably happy with this part of the family story:
 
G28 Gervasius Chasterlin
 
G27 Robert Chasterlin
 
G26 Richard Chasterlin
 
G25 Robert Jocelyn = dau. of John (or James) Fleming
  		Robert Chasterlin
 
G24 James Jocelyn = Joan Threnkenholm
(note 1) 		William Chasterlin
3rd Quartering
(note 2)
 
 
G23 Henry Jocelyn = Jane Chastelin
(heiress of William Chastelyn) 		Sir Richard Enfield
of Enfield
5th Quartering
 
G22 Ralph Jocelyne
(living 1204) 		= Beatrix Sir Thomas Battayle
= Elizabeth Enfield
4th Quartering
 
 
G21 John Jocelyne
(living 1226) 		= Katherine Battell (Battayle)
(dau and coheir of Thomas) 		Sir Thomas Hyde
0f Hyde Hall
6th Quartering
 
 
G20 Thomas Jocelyn
(living 1249)
(note 3) 		= Maud Hyde
(heiress of Hyde Hall) 		John Baud
8th Quartering
 
G19 Thomas Jocelyn
(living 1285)
(note 4) 		= (1) Alice, dau of William Liston
(mother of Ralph)
= (2) Joan, dau of John le Blount 		de Patmere = Baud
7th Quartering
 
G18 Ralph Jocelyn
(1276-1312)
(note 5) 		= (1) Anne, dau of William Sandes = (2) Matilda, dau. of Sir John Sutton alias Dudley
(mother of Geoffrey) 		de Patmere
 
G17 Geoffrey Jocelyn
(living temp Edward III)
(note 6) 		= Margaret dau. of Robert Rockelle John de Patmere
 
 
G16 Ralph Josselyn
(note 7) 		= Mary de Patmere (heiress)
 
 
G15 Sir Thomas Josselyn
(note 8)
(no issue)
  		= Maud Branktree (Braintree) Geoffrey Josselyn
(see below)
Notes
  1. Burke's does not mention Joan Threnkenholm.
  2. The Harleian Visitation of Essex 1612 gives five generations of the Chastelin descent (namely Gervasius, Robert, Richard, Robert and William) to Jane.
  3. Thomas Jocelyn (G20) living 1248, married Maud, daughter & co-heiress of Sir Thomas Hyde (crest, 6th quarter) by which marriage the Manor of came into the Jocelyn family. Maud was a GGGG Granddaughter of Henry 1 of England, son of William the Conqueror.
    Following this, the Hyde Hall estate remained in the Jocelyn family for some five hundred years; this aspect is dealt with in greater detail later when considering the senior line of the family and the abstract relating to the history of .
  4. Thomas Jocelyn (G19), who was living 1285, married Alice Liston, whose family is described by Morant as an 'ancient knightly family'. Thomas Jocelyn married secondly Joan Blunt but the descent is through his first wife; he died before the end of 1297.
  5. Ralph Jocelyn (G18), b 1276, married first Anne Sandys and second Maud, or Matilda, daughter of Sir John Sutton, alias Dudley, by whom he had a son Geoffrey. The Sutton family held considerable land in the Essex/Suffolk borders region. At an inquisition taken before the King at Winchester in 1297, Ralph Jocelyn was stated to have been "21 years old on St Lucy the Virgin last and to have been baptised at when four days old". By gift from Sir John Sutton, Ralph received the Manor of , holding court there in 1298. The Jocelyn family later disposed of this Manor in 1338 but took repossession of it during the 1500's.
  6. Geoffry Josselyn (G17) living 1397, married Margaret Rockelle.
  7. Ralph Josselyn (G16) married Margaret, dau. & heiress of John de Patmere (crest 7th quarter), which John's grandfather married the dau. & heiress of John Baud of Somerby, Lincs (crest 8th quarter).
  8. Their eldest son, Sir Thomas Josselyn married Maud Branktree (or Braintree) who brought the estates of Matching Barnes, and to the Josselyn family. This Thomas died without issue, so the estates passed to the second son, Geoffrey Josselyn, through whom the line is descended.
  9. A pedigree drawn in the reign of Charles III and approved by Sir John Jocelyn (third baronet) in 1731 as "the work of an exact, careful and learned hand, and much superior to any I have seen printed or written" states that Sir Thomas was father, not brother, of Geoffry.
Notes & References
  1. Based on Vol 2, Ch 1 of the research of John Hallum
  2. Communications with Tim Powys-Lybbe
  3. Communications with Leo van de Plas
  4. Debrett's Peerage of England, Scotland, and Ireland By John Debrett, 1820 (Google Books)
  5. Burke's Peerage and Baronetage, 1999
  6. British History Online