Prehistoric activity in the Bolton Upon Dearne area is demonstrated by a Bronze Age palstave (chisel) that was recovered from the bank of the River Dearne, to the east of the B6098. Cropmark evidence indicates settlement and agricultural activity in the area to the south of Lowfield Road during the Iron Age and Romano-British periods.

Early medieval activity in the area is indicated by place-name evidence. Recorded as ‘Bodetone’ in the 1086 Domesday survey, Bolton Upon Dearne derives its name from the Old English elements ‘bodl’ and ‘tun’, and means ‘an enclosure with buildings’ (Smith 1961, 83). The location and extent of the early medieval settlement is unknown, although St. Andrew’s Church was founded during this period and elements of the early medieval church are retained in the current building.

Following the Norman Conquest, Bolton Upon Dearne was granted to Roger de Busli, the lord of Tickhill. Two mills were recorded at Bolton Upon Dearne in the late 11th century and the area remained in agricultural use in the early post-medieval period, when a further corn mill was constructed. Bolton Upon Dearne’s commons were enclosed between 1761 and 1767.

New farms, such as Grange Farm, were established in the late 18th and early 19th centuries and many agricultural buildings and features survive from this period. Land around the village remained largely in agricultural use until the early 20th century, when the village began to expand with the construction of extensive areas of housing for miners who were employed at Goldthorpe Colliery to the north.