The second part of its name, recorded in the forms "Archelou" and "Erkalwe" in the 13th century, has been suggested as derived from a Celtic word, perhaps an old Welsh name Ercal.

[3][4] High Ercall was recorded in Domesday as "Archelou": it was stated to have been held by Earl Eduin in the time of Edward the Confessor, when it was worth £20.

[citation needed] In the churchyard, as well as graves covering several centuries, there is a sundial from the 18th-century which records the time in Jerusalem, Rome and Plymouth in Massachusetts.

[6] Between 1644 and 1646 the house withstood repeated attacks by local Parliamentarian forces, culminating in a prolonged siege, using artillery, from July 1645.

A short distance from the village is a World War II airfield which as RAF High Ercall was the home of 29 MU, a Royal Air Force maintenance unit.