John Josselyn

John Josselyn was born about 1515.¹ He was the son of John Josselyn and Eleanor ____. Elizabeth French gives his birth at about 1525.²

John Josselyn married Alice Nevell on 15 January 1545 at Fyfield, Essex.²

John Josselyn lived at Fyfield for a year and a half, at least, after his marriage.² He moved to Chignal-Smealy, Essex in 1546 or 1547. At some time between 1552 and 1561 he moved to Roxwell, Essex.²

From Edith Wessler's Josselyn genealogy: This Jocelyn seems to have moved about more frequently than other members of his family. We must remember that there was much confusion in England at this particular time. Because open fields were then being enclosed for sheep raising, many yeomen were evicted from small farms. Perhaps John suffered this distress.³

Elizabeth French's genealogy of the Josselyn family states: By a fine dated 1 and 18 May 1573 John Josselyn acquired of William Water the property called Bollinghatch in Newland hamlet in the parish of Roxwell, consisting of a house, garden, orchard, one hundred and forty acres of land, ten acres of meadow, ten acres of pasture, and ten acres of wood. This property, now called Boldinghatch, lies about two miles northeast from the church at Roxwell and about half a mile from Good Easter, co. Essex . . . At the time of his death John Josselyn also held of the Queen a house and land called Searles in Roxwell, with other land in Roxwell held of the manor of Fambridge End and land called Thistledowns in Shellow-Bowels and Willingale-Doe held of Henry Josselyn [a 4th cousin] as of his manor of Torrell's Hall.²

John Josselyn was buried on 18 February 1579 in Roxwell.²