The settlement was named after the fourth Earl of Aylesford, Heneage Finch, who was Lord Of The Bedchamber to George III from 1772-1777.

Aylesford is one of the oldest surviving settlements in Kings County, originally settled by Ulster Scots (Scots-Irish) during the early 1770s.

Aylesford emerged as a major centre for packing, processing and exporting apples after the arrival of the Windsor and Annapolis Railway in 1869.

Aylesford's largest tourist attraction, the Oaklawn Farm Zoo (located just outside the village in Millville), was home to Rutledge, the heaviest living lion in captivity, as certified by Guinness World Records in 1997.

Many other area farms provide a self-pick service offering strawberries, apples, pears, cherries, blueberries, raspberries, peaches and other produce.