In 2011 excavations to the east of the present village uncovered the remains of a large Anglo Saxon settlement. In 1096, Sherburn was listed in the
Domesday Book as within the ancient
wapentake of
Toreshou. By the 13th century, Sherburn parish was within
Buckrose wapentake. It was historically part of the
East Riding of Yorkshire until 1974. From 1974 to 2023 it was part of the district of
Ryedale, it is now administered by the unitary
North Yorkshire Council.
St Hilda's Church, Sherburn is a
Grade II* listed building and forms part of the
Sykes Churches Trail. It was restored by
C. Hodgson Fowler for
Sir Tatton Sykes between 1909 and 1912. This included the addition of the tower. The Grade II listed village cross was given to the village by Sir Tatton Sykes in thanksgiving for the restoration for the church and was designed by
Temple Moore. In October 2019 thieves stripped lead from the north side of the church roof. During the
Second World War Sherburn hosted a small prisoner of war camp. The buildings survived in a variety of agricultural uses until the early 21st century when they were replaced by the Vicarage Farm Close development. ==Amenities and leisure==