The place-name 'Englefield' is first attested in the Anglo Saxon Chronicle for 871, where it appears as Engla feld.

This was fought between the Anglo-Saxons, under Æthelwulf, Ealdorman of Berkshire, and the Danes, and resulted in a resounding victory for the Saxons.

The house eventually passed to the Benyon family, as part of the largest privately owned estate in West Berkshire.

[3] In the late 19th century, Richard Fellowes Benyon rebuilt the villagers' houses as a model estate village and provided them with such amenities as a swimming pool, soup kitchen and a new school.

[4] The village relies on and contributes to the amenities and organisations in Theale and Tilehurst, which bound it to the south and east, as well as Reading.