Fersfield's name is of Anglo-Saxon origin and derives from the Old English for an area of open land where heifers were kept.

He served as Rector of Fersfield from 1729 until his death in 1752, during which time he wrote a comprehensive history of Norfolk and discovered some of the Paston Letters.

After the Second World War, RAF Fersfield was briefly used as a venue for motor racing until it reverted to agricultural use.

The village's national constituency is Waveney Valley which has been represented by the Green Party's Adrian Ramsay since 2024.

C. E. Woode and subsequently unveiled in the presence of a Colonel Mornement and Bertram Pollock, Bishop of Norwich.