The settlement dates from early times, the first recorded church building being in the Middle Ages.

West of Longnor are the Staffordshire Moorlands, with a summit at Axe Edge Moor towards the north and Morridge further south.

According to local legend the village was burned during the reign of William II as a punishment for the poaching of deer from the forests around Leek.

B. Dyson, along with a brief biography of Mrs Cecily Ferguson who later was hostess to John Wesley on his visit to Amsterdam.

It was based on a much earlier painting of mine of Longnor, a village in Derbyshire [sic] which I did about 40–45 years ago at least.Some of the TV series Peak Practice was filmed here.

[16] In episode 5 of the BBC's 1995 adaptation of Pride and Prejudice, Longnor was used for shots of the fictitious village of Lambton, where Elizabeth Bennet and her aunt and uncle stay during their visit to Derbyshire.

The nearby Blakemere Pond is a body of water precariously perched upon a hilltop, with scenic views across the Peak District and beyond in two directions.