Broughton was recorded in the reign of Henry VII as one of the townships of the manor of Eglwysegle (a name preserved in the area known as Eglwyseg near Llangollen), part of the lordship of Bromfield.

The Wrexham historian Alfred Neobard Palmer noted: Three villages [called Broughton] are situated in that part of Wales which was settled by Englishmen.

[5] The majority of the villages date from the 19th century, when the area became heavily industrialised through coal mining and its proximity to the Brymbo Steelworks.

[7] Continuing development has urbanised much of the rest of the community's area, with some agricultural land remaining in the south and east.

The Moss Valley Golf Club was built in the 1980s by five designers, and was initially run by the local council.