Le Bugue enjoyed a period of prosperity until 1154, when the province of Périgord came under English control.

Le Bugue was often disputed between British troops and those of the King of France, and therefore suffered greatly.

Le Bugue was a quiet commercial town until the French Revolution.

The end of the 19th century was marked by the construction of the local bridge and the arrival of the railroad (the line between Périgueux and Agen).

Le Bugue owes part of its fame to the chemist and physician Jean Rey who discovered the Law of Conservation of Mass 200 years before Lavoisier.