Framfield is a village and

civil parish In England, a civil parish is a type of administrative parish used for local government. It is a territorial designation which is the lowest tier of local government below districts and counties, or their combined form, the unitary authority ...

in the Wealden District of

East Sussex East Sussex is a ceremonial and non-metropolitan county in South East England on the English Channel coast. It is bordered by Kent to the north and east, West Sussex to the west, and Surrey to the north-west. The largest settlement in East Su ...

England England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Wales to its west and Scotland to its north. The Irish Sea lies northwest and the Celtic Sea to the southwest. It is separated from continental Europe b ...

. The village is located two miles (3 km) east of

Uckfield Uckfield () is a town in the Wealden District of East Sussex in South East England. The town is on the River Uck, one of the tributaries of the River Ouse, on the southern edge of the Weald. Etymology 'Uckfield', first recorded in writing as ...

; the settlements of Blackboys, Palehouse and Halland form part of the parish area of 6,700 acres (2,706 ha).

History

It is likely that Framfield came into existence in the 9th century.

Saxon The Saxons ( la, Saxones, german: Sachsen, ang, Seaxan, osx, Sahson, nds, Sassen, nl, Saksen) were a group of Germanic * * * * peoples whose name was given in the early Middle Ages to a large country (Old Saxony, la, Saxonia) near the Nor ...

invaders established many settlements along the Weald: the final ''-field'' in its name means a clearing in the forest to build such a place. The village is mentioned in the ''

Domesday Book Domesday Book () – the Middle English spelling of "Doomsday Book" – is a manuscript record of the "Great Survey" of much of England and parts of Wales completed in 1086 by order of King William I, known as William the Conqueror. The manusc ...

'' (''Framelle''); part of the church has

Norman Norman or Normans may refer to: Ethnic and cultural identity * The Normans, a people partly descended from Norse Vikings who settled in the territory of Normandy in France in the 10th and 11th centuries ** People or things connected with the Norm ...

stonework. John Levett died holding the manor of Framfield in 1552. He was succeeded by his son Laurence. By 1590 the manor of Framfield, which had been in the

Levett Levett is a surname of Anglo-Norman origin, deriving from eLivet, which is held particularly by families and individuals resident in England and British Commonwealth territories. Origins This surname comes from the village of Livet-en-Ouche, no ...

family for centuries, came to Bromley and Branthwaite by letters patent in the reign of

Queen Elizabeth I Elizabeth I (7 September 153324 March 1603) was Queen of England and Ireland from 17 November 1558 until her death in 1603. Elizabeth was the last of the five House of Tudor monarchs and is sometimes referred to as the "Virgin Queen". El ...

. Within several years it was in the hands of Thomas Sackville, Lord Buckhurst and through marriage ultimately came to

John Tufton, 2nd Earl of Thanet John Tufton, 2nd Earl of Thanet (15 December 1608 – 7 May 1664) was an English nobleman and supporter of Charles I of England. He was the eldest son of Nicholas Tufton, 1st Earl of Thanet, and Lady Frances Cecil, granddaughter of William Cec ...

Richard Sackville, 5th Earl of Dorset Richard Sackville, 5th Earl of Dorset (16 September 1622 – 27 August 1677) was an English peer and politician. Background He was born at Dorset House, the second of three children of Edward Sackville, 4th Earl of Dorset and Mary Curzon, d ...

subsequently purchased the manor of Framfield from the Earls Thanet.

Governance

electoral ward A ward is a local authority area, typically used for electoral purposes. In some countries, wards are usually named after neighbourhoods, thoroughfares, parishes, landmarks, geographical features and in some cases historical figures connected to t ...

in the same name exists. This ward had a population taken at the 2011 census of 2,741.

Geography

Framfield parish lies on the southern part of the

Weald The Weald () is an area of South East England between the parallel chalk escarpments of the North and the South Downs. It crosses the counties of Hampshire, Surrey, Sussex and Kent. It has three separate parts: the sandstone "High Weald" in the ...

. An ancient trackway, probably used by the Saxons during their invasions, passes to the north of the village. Like many other such places, it was involved in the

Wealden iron industry The Wealden iron industry was located in the Weald of south-eastern England. It was formerly an important industry, producing a large proportion of the bar iron made in England in the 16th century and most British cannon until about 1770. Iron ...

: there are many small streams (including Framfield Stream) which are tributaries of the River Ouse (Sussex) on which the mills stood.

The Framfield and Blackboys Summer Show

Each year in the village, a

fête In Britain and some of its former colonies, fêtes are traditional public festivals, held outdoors and organised to raise funds for a charity. They typically include entertainment and the sale of goods and refreshments. Village fêtes Village f� ...

is held at the Framfield Recreation Ground and Memorial Hall. It is a big event for Framfield. The Summer Show is held on the second Saturday of August. The Summer Show includes the traditional vegetable, fruit and flower exhibits along with flower arranging, children's and adult handicrafts, cookery and photographic sections. While overseen by the Framfield and Blackboys Horticultural Society, the Summer Show organisation has now passed to the local Show Committee, initially chaired by Phil Day and later by Terry Everitt. The show returned in 2022 after a two year break due to the Covid pandemic.

Blackboys

Blackboys is a local village within the same parish as Framfield. There a number of theories about the source of the name ‘Blackboys’. The most interesting theory relates to the ancient industry of

charcoal Charcoal is a lightweight black carbon residue produced by strongly heating wood (or other animal and plant materials) in minimal oxygen to remove all water and volatile constituents. In the traditional version of this pyrolysis process, cal ...

burning. The ''Blackboys Inn'' was founded in the 14th century as a

coaching Coaching is a form of development in which an experienced person, called a ''coach'', supports a learner or client in achieving a specific personal or professional goal by providing training and guidance. The learner is sometimes called a ''coa ...

establishment. It is possible that the inn was also founded as an overnight lodge for the drivers transporting charcoal from the local woods to

Lewes Lewes () is the county town of East Sussex, England. It is the police and judicial centre for all of Sussex and is home to Sussex Police, East Sussex Fire & Rescue Service, Lewes Crown Court and HMP Lewes. The civil parish is the centre of ...

and other towns. In the 1960s it was owned by the comedian and actor Ronald Shiner. Riverside House, and its exposure to noise from aircraft operations at

Gatwick Airport Gatwick Airport (), also known as London Gatwick , is a major international airport near Crawley, West Sussex, England, south of Central London. In 2021, Gatwick was the third-busiest airport by total passenger traffic in the UK, after H ...

, was the subject of a

House of Lords The House of Lords, also known as the House of Peers, is the Bicameralism, upper house of the Parliament of the United Kingdom. Membership is by Life peer, appointment, Hereditary peer, heredity or Lords Spiritual, official function. Like the ...

legal ruling in 2001 (

Farley v Skinner ''Farley v Skinner'' 001UKHL 49is an English contract law case, concerning the measure and availability of damages for distress. Facts Mr Farley bought a large estate, Riverside House, in Blackboys, Sussex, not far from Gatwick Airport. It had ...

). Located near Blackboys is ''Tickerage Mill'', which was once the home of

Vivien Leigh Vivien Leigh ( ; 5 November 1913 – 8 July 1967; born Vivian Mary Hartley), styled as Lady Olivier after 1947, was a British actress. She won the Academy Award for Best Actress twice, for her definitive performances as Scarlett O'Hara in ''Gon ...

. After her death, her ashes were scattered on the mill pond.. The composer,

Ruth Gipps Ruth Dorothy Louisa ("Wid") Gipps (20 February 1921 – 23 February 1999) was an English composer, oboist, pianist, conductor, and educator. She composed music in a wide range of genres, including five symphonies, seven concertos, and num ...

lived, in later years, at Tickerage Castle, now a large detached house.

Religion

There is a 13th-century church, dedicated to

Thomas Becket Thomas Becket (), also known as Saint Thomas of Canterbury, Thomas of London and later Thomas à Becket (21 December 1119 or 1120 – 29 December 1170), was an English nobleman who served as Lord Chancellor from 1155 to 1162, and then ...

, which is thought to have superseded a wooden

one.Framfield Church
History
accessed 31 March 2022 In the 9th century it passed from the crown to the

Archbishop of Canterbury The archbishop of Canterbury is the senior bishop and a principal leader of the Church of England, the ceremonial head of the worldwide Anglican Communion and the diocesan bishop of the Diocese of Canterbury. The current archbishop is Justi ...

, assuming its nomination as a peculiar. In 1509 a fire burned all the wooden parts of the church. The tower collapsed in the 17th century. In 1891 the church, including the tower, was

restored ''Restored'' is the fourth studio album by American contemporary Christian music musician Jeremy Camp. It was released on November 16, 2004 by BEC Recordings. Track listing Standard release Enhanced edition Deluxe gold edition Standard ...

and the bells were rehung. There is also a

Baptist Baptists form a major branch of Protestantism distinguished by baptizing professing Christian believers only (believer's baptism), and doing so by complete immersion. Baptist churches also generally subscribe to the doctrines of soul compete ...

chapel, and there was a

Methodist Methodism, also called the Methodist movement, is a group of historically related denominations of Protestant Christianity whose origins, doctrine and practice derive from the life and teachings of John Wesley. George Whitefield and John's b ...

church at Blackboys. However, this has now been converted into houses.

Education

Education is provided by two

Church of England The Church of England (C of E) is the established Christian church in England and the mother church of the international Anglican Communion. It traces its history to the Christian church recorded as existing in the Roman province of Britain ...

primary schools: Framfield; and Blackboys.Blackboys CE Primary School
/ref>

Leisure and sport

There are two

inns Inns are generally establishments or buildings where travelers can seek lodging, and usually, food and drink. Inns are typically located in the country or along a highway; before the advent of motorized transportation they also provided accommo ...

in the parish: the ''Hare and Hounds'' in Framfield and the ''Blackboys Inn'' in Blackboys. Blackboys Cricket Club is based at the Blackboys Recreation Ground. Framfield and Blackboys Football Club is based at Framfield Recreation Ground.

AFC Uckfield Association Football Club Uckfield was a football club based in Uckfield, East Sussex, England. History The club was formed in 1988 as Wealden Football Club. They joined the Sussex County League Division Three in 1998 and finished runners-up ...

's Youth Team is based at Framfield Recreation Ground.

Economy

The main charcoal business of the parish stopped in the early 19th century when the iron industry moved north to the

Midlands The Midlands (also referred to as Central England) are a part of England that broadly correspond to the Kingdom of Mercia of the Early Middle Ages, bordered by Wales, Northern England and Southern England. The Midlands were important in the Ind ...

with their large deposits of coal.

References

{{authority control Villages in East Sussex Civil parishes in East Sussex Wealden District