The village was near the site of a battle between English and Scots armies and was the location of mills producing linen goods from the 18th century onward.

[5][6] The traditional location for the site of the Battle of the Standard in 1138 is just north-west of Brompton, on land bounded by the A167 road to the west, an overgrown track known as Scotpit Lane to the south and Brompton Lane to the east that is called Standard Hill.

Bricks from the demolished chimney of the John Wilford Mill on Station road now form a memorial to linen workers on Water End Green, opposite the Village Inn.

Engineering work has also been carried out on various parts of the river such as the removal and widening of bends in the banks and creating a bypass when the water reaches its peak.

Brompton was anciently a chapelry in the parish of Northallerton in the Allertonshire Wapentake of the North Riding of Yorkshire.

[14] The Brompton or Willow Beck that flows through the village is part of the tributary system of the River Wiske.

[4][18] The church is reputed to have the largest collection of hogback stone tombs in the United Kingdom.

A small community café is located in Weavers Pavilion on Station Road next to the primary school.

[25] The football club plays in the Hambleton League[26] at the recreation ground on Station Road, where a new pavilion was opened in 2011.