[1] The name of the village was first recorded in 1086 as Leuecen, and it derives from Old Norse, meaning the farmstead of Leofgeat's people.

[2][3] The village is believed to have moved location due to the Black Death in the 14th century.

[6] The church fell into disuse in the 1950s, though burials continue, and the main place of Anglican worship is the Church of St John the Baptist, which is in Levisham village, some 2,600 feet (800 m) away from St Mary's.

At the 2011 census, details were recorded with the parish of Lockton,[9] however, an estimate by North Yorkshire County Council in 2015 stated that the population was 70.

[10] Heartbeat actress Lisa Kay (nurse Carol Cassidy) is from Levisham.