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 authorit ...

in the Wealden District of East Sussex,

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 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 manus ...

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

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, ...

subsequently purchased the manor of Framfield from the Earls Thanet.

Governance

An electoral ward 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 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 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 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 upper house of the Parliament of the United Kingdom. Membership is by appointment, heredity or official function. Like the House of Commons, it meets in the Palace of Westminste ...

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. 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 nu ...

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 Saxon one.Framfield Church
History
accessed 31 March 2022 In the 9th century it passed from the crown to the Archbishop of Canterbury, 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 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 compe ...

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 ...

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 Britai ...

primary schools: Framfield; and Blackboys.Blackboys CE Primary School
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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'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 with their large deposits of coal.

References

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