[1] The village was known as Madingelei in the Domesday Book of 1086, a name meaning "Woodland clearing of the family or followers of a man called Mada".

His daughter Rosamond Harding, notable musicologist and music historian, lived there for 20 years until her late father's trust sold it to the university.

[5][6] The Madingley Hall estate, including its surrounding park and farmland have been owned by the University of Cambridge since 1948, and still is today.

In addition to its extensive English gardens, the Madingley Hall estate includes 1150 acres of countryside which are maintained by the university.

The entire 30½ acres used for the American Cemetery and Memorial were donated to the United States government by the University of Cambridge following World War II.= [7] The village's former public house, The Three Horseshoes, is now a restaurant though it still has a bar that serves beer.