Ralph Josselin (26 January 1616[1] – August 1683)[a] was the vicar of Earls Colne in Essex from 1640 until his death in 1683.
[4] It appears Josselin did not enjoy good health at Cranham, and the rectory was, in any case, eventually restored to its previous, sequestered incumbent.
He was also offered a more lucrative position at Hornchurch,[4] presumably by New College, Oxford (whose perpetual curate holds that living).
Josselin had relatives living at Cranham, whom he visited occasionally, long after the move to Earl's Colne.
[5] Alan Macfarlane began collecting information relating to Earls Colne and the diary, while working on his doctorate at the Essex Record Office in the 1960s.