The Danes sacked the abbey during the reign of King Alfred who later sequestered its estates, presumably including Appleton, because the monks had not made him a sufficient requital for vanquishing their enemies.

In the 10th century the village had the alternative name of Earmundeslæh, Earmundesleah, Earmundeslee or Earmundeslei, referring to King Edmund I, who in 942 granted it to Athelstan, one of his thegns, who may have restored it to Abingdon Abbey.

[2] From then on the history is largely a record of grants and reversions, the best-known names to appear in the list of grantors or tenants being William de Merton, perhaps a kinsman of the founder of Merton College, Oxford, Sir William de Shareshull, Lord Chief Justice in the reign of Edward III, and William Lenthall, Speaker of the Long Parliament (this at a time when the Lordship of the Manor descended with that of Besselsleigh) and, of more local note, the Fettiplace and the Southby families.

The north aisle was added late in that century, linked with the nave by a four-bay arcade of pointed arches.

[2][3][6] Monuments in the church include a brass of two shrouded corpses in memory of John Goudrington, who died in 1518, and his wife.

In the chancel is a Renaissance stone monument erected in 1593 in memory of Sir John Fettiplace, who died in 1580.

[8] Appleton has a Church of England primary school, a community shop, a Women's Institute[9] and a cricket club.

[12][13] Oxfordshire County Council subsidised bus route 63 between Oxford and Southmoor serves Appleton five times a day in each direction from Monday to Friday.