The village is of ancient establishment, possibly with Roman origins and was part of the wapentake of Barkston Ash in the West Riding of Yorkshire. The field adjoining All Saints' Church is the site of the palace of kings of Elmet, which was given by Athelstan to the Archbishops of York on his conversion to Christianity in or around the 10th century. The church itself is unusually large for a village parish church and dates from around 1120, with Norman pillars and a later-built large tower housing a ring of eight bells. It was built on the site of an earlier Anglo-Saxon church. The church is now a Grade I listed building. The Battle of Towton was fought nearby in 1461 and local legend tells that King Edward IV, who won the battle, used the church tower as a point for surveying the battle lines. During the English Civil War, the village was garrisoned by the Royalists for King Charles I; it was close to their stronghold at Selby and the northern capital of York, and commanded the approaches from both the south and the west. In 1645, the Parliamentarians attacked Sherburn and defeated the garrison. On 15 October 1645 the Battle of Sherburn-in-Elmet took place. A Royalist force commanded by Lord Digby and Sir Marmaduke Langdale attacked and initially defeated the Parliamentarian garrison now based in the village. However, another Parliamentarian force, under Colonel Copley, counterattacked and routed the Royalists. Thus was defeated the last significant Royalist force in the North during the First English Civil War.
Squires Cafe just outside Sherburn is a long-established meeting place for motorcycle riders, particularly on Wednesday evenings and Sunday afternoons. The roads leading into Sherburn-in-Elmet are known nationally for the varied and pleasurable rides they offer for motorcyclists. The town is now home to a major industrial site attracting large businesses such as Eddie Stobart Ltd. The former Gascoigne Wood mine, which was part of the Selby coalfield project, is to the south-east. Home to Sherburn-in-Elmet Airfield which is currently the base for the Sherburn Aero Club, Sherburn's links with the air industry go back to the Second World War when the Blackburn Aircraft Company built the Fairey Swordfish in the town. Production ended in 1945, and by then 1,699 such aircraft had been built in Sherburn. The airfield also saw the first flight of L.E. Baynes's famous prototype glider, the Baynes Bat.
Sherburn has a large manufacturing and trading base with British Gypsum being a long time major employer, Sainsbury's have a distribution centre. In 2011 bus manufacturer, Optare moved their factory from Cross Gates to a new purpose built site in the village.
Education
Sherburn has two primary schools, Hungate and Athelstan. The secondary school, Sherburn High School, has recently gained the status of a specialist science school.
Sport
Sherburn Eversley Cricket Club
Sherburn Eversley Cricket Club was formed in the 20th century and play at Eversley Park in Sherburn-in-Elmet. The club has two teams that play on a Saturday afternoons in the Leeds & Wetherby Cricket League; with the firsts gaining promotion and playing in the Second division in 2016 and the second team playing in Division Five. The club also has a Thursday evening team.
Fishing
The Bacon Factory Pond is a local recreational fishery located on the eastern side of the town. With a total of 40 pegs the fishery is controlled by the Wheatsheaf Angling Club. The pond is stocked with perch, carp, roach, bream, tench, eels and pike.
Compass Martial Arts
Established in 2016, Compass Martial Arts is based on Sherburn Industrial Estate in a purpose built Dojo, delivering Karate, Kickboxing and Okinawan Weaponry classes.
