The name Madley most probably originated from Middle Welsh matle, equivalent to modern Welsh mad lle, meaning “good place”; but this was later reinterpreted by English speakers through folk etymology as Mada-ley, “meadow of Mada”, as the suffix -ley is common in English place names (e.g. Hadley, Shipley) as a shortened form of the word leigh (“meadow”).

The church of the Nativity of the Blessed Virgin Mary is one of the best known local examples of Norman architecture with gargoyles carved into the tower itself.

[5] It was built in 1940 by Welsh contractors and opened as a training centre for aircrew and ground wireless operators on 27 August 1941.

The site was visited in 1944 prior to D-Day by US General George S. Patton, and later by Rudolf Hess (who had been held prisoner near Abergavenny) on his way to the Nuremberg trials in 1946.

The Red Lion in Madley is an old coaching inn dating back to the 16th century and is a grade II listed building.