Blackboys is a small village which lies inland from the South Downs and near to the Ashdown Forest in East Sussex in Southern England . It lies on the Heathfield to Lewes main road. There are a few explanations to the derivation of the name. One that it came from the colour of the Charcoal burners when they emerged from the woods, but the more likely explanation is that the name means Black Wood, from the soot deposited in the woods by the charcoal. The village seems to have the same type of background as that of Kilndown in Kent. The Blackboys Inn was founded in the 1300's and was known as a coaching establishment. It is also possible that the Inn was founded as a drivers overnight resting place for those transporting the charcoal from the local woods to Lewes and other towns. It is likely that the majority of the charcoal was used by the nearby Buxted foundry where it is believed that the first iron cannon in England was made in 1543. The main business of the village stopped in the early 1800's when the iron industry moved north to the Midlands with their large deposits of coal.

Services

The village only has a few local services, with the nearest shopping centres in Heathfield to the east and Uckfield to the west. The nearest trains run from Uckfield to London.

Views

Blackboys has really nice views to the north over the valley the whole area is quiet and peaceful. The valley to the north is quite steep, and leads to Buxted where the first cannons in England were produced.