Bonsall has a long history of lead mining, along with its neighbouring town of Wirksworth, probably going back to Roman times, and is recorded in the Domesday Book.

[citation needed] The village lies on the edge of the Peak District National Park, the border of which bisects the 'Uppertown' suburb.

[5] Parts of St James the Apostle's Church, Bonsall date from the 13th century, including the north side of the chancel and the arcade of the south aisle.

In early modern times Bonsall was on an important salters' route, and was a staging post on the road between Derby and Manchester.

Bonsall remains a working village that is involved in agriculture, heavy goods transport and a range of forms of information technology.

[10] The Christian author Selwyn Hughes recalls in his biography the time he was sent home from the camp for bad behaviour.

During a renovation of a house in 'upper town' in 1866, builders lifted the ground-floor floorboards, only to discover 29 horse skulls with all of their lower jaws missing.