The Jocelyn family, originally from Normandy, have followed varied interests in England and Ireland over the centuries, ranging from finance to the law, and from the church to industry
- 1146: Gilbert Jocelyn founded the Gilbertines, the only English ecclesiastical order, and was duly made a saint
- 1464: Sir Ralph Jocelyn became Lord Mayor of London on not one but two occasions
- 1588: Lord Hunsdon, the son of Mary Boleyn and a family ancestor, was commander of Queen Elizabeth’s army during the Spanish Armada and, as Lord Chamberlain, was the main patron of Shakespeare’s plays
- 1660: The family, being close to the crown, were heavily involved in the English Civil War and participated in the Restoration of Charles II
- 1739: Sir Robert Jocelyn, later the first Viscount Jocelyn, became Lord High Chancellor of Ireland and, as such, controlled the legal profession among other duties. He was a close friend of Jonathan Swift and a collector of fine art
- 1756: The Earl of Clanbrassil, who married into the family, created Tollymore Park in County Down and brought the linen industry to Ireland. He was also involved in the plantation of the State of Georgia
- 1839-1856: Jocelyns, now created the Earls of Roden, fought through the Crimea and in the Opium Wars
- 1858: The Hon. Nassau Jocelyn was Secretary to the first trade mission to Japan and China led by Lord Elgin
- 1910: The family’s extensive oak forests at Tollymore, planted by Lord Clanbrassil, were used for boatbuilding, and all the oak interiors for the Titanic were sourced from his oak trees
- Present: Besides Tollymore, the family owned estates in England and Ireland. Today they own property in the West of Ireland and super prime property in London where they have been actively involved in international finance ranging from insurance to asset management