Hi, friend, and welcome to this members only, patron only mini cast. This is a little mini cast about Dorothy Jocelyn. Dorothy Jocelyn is somebody that I kind of just

recently found out about, came across her and doing some other research. And she's really

interesting. There's not a lot known about her. So until somebody does a really super deep dive

into all the paperwork and tries to put more together about her, there's not a whole lot out there that's easy to access.

But we're going to talk about what we do know about a fascinating woman.

So Lady Dorothy Jocelyn, formerly Gates, is a figure whose life illuminates the intricate web of England's aristocratic society,

born in 1512 into the affluent Gates family of Essex.

Dorothy was the daughter of Sir Jeffrey Gates and Elizabeth Clopton.

In 1524, she intertwined her destiny with that of Sir Thomas

Jocelyn through marriage, aligning herself with a prominent Hartfordshire and Essex family.

Sir Thomas Jocelyn was born around 1506. He wasn't that much older than her. He was created a night of the bath by Edward the 6th.

And by 1554, he was a privy counselor to Edward the 6th. So that is Thomas Jocelyn, and that's

who Dorothy married. Now, she was brought up by a family of considerable status in her area,

and that would have provided

her with the education and demeanor necessary for a woman destined to navigate the highest

echelons of society. By 1537, she was at court. That's where we have the first mention of her

at court. She was part of the funeral procession for Queen Jane Seymour.

Serving in this ceremonial role was a significant honor and testament to her family's influence and

her own standing within the court. Participation in such a royal event not only would have

elevated her visibility among the Tudor elite,

but also underscored her reliability and respectability in handling sensitive court duties.

Now, we don't know exactly how or when she arrived at court. We know that by 1537 she was there.

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