[5] The earliest known written reference to Mexborough is found in the Domesday Book of 1086 (Mechesburg), which states that before the Norman Conquest of England the area had been controlled by the Saxon lords Wulfheah and Ulfkil.

[8] A few other pre-1800 buildings remain, including several public houses: the Ferryboat Inn, the George and Dragon, the Bull's Head and the Red Lion.

Throughout the 18th, 19th and much of the 20th century the town's economy was based around coal mining, quarrying, brickworks and the production of ceramics, and it soon became a busy railway junction.

It was in one of these public houses, the Montagu Arms, that Stan Laurel stayed overnight after performing at the town's Prince of Wales Theatre on 9 December 1907.

This is the former Barnsley British Cooperative Society flour mill, which stands on the north side of the River Don Navigation, close to the Church of St John the Baptist.

[10][11] For more than a hundred years the railway locomotive maintenance and stabling depot (colloquially known as "Mexborough Loco") was a major employer.

In 1839 it was bought by James Reed, whose son John renamed the business the "Mexborough Pottery", and expanded the works.

[13] In late 2023, Glenn Bluff, Doncaster City Councillor for neighbouring Adwick-on-Dearne in the Sprotbrough ward and Parish Councillor for Neighbouring Barnburgh and Harlington announced he was standing against sitting MP Ed Miliband in the next General Election and one of his first priorities was a town council for Mexborough, a concept known locally as Mexit.

In December 2023, a meeting was held and jointly hosted by Bev Chapman and Glenn Bluff, from opposing parties to push forward the concept of a town council that has since received local support and has a facebook page.

The majority of bus routes traverse Mexborough town centre on a one-way loop, with the Greens Way stops serving routes heading generally eastbound towards Doncaster and the Hartley Street stops serving westbound services towards Barnsley and Rotherham.

Mexborough Interchange was built by the South Yorkshire Passenger Transport Executive in the early 1990s, replacing bus stops in both directions on the High Street which was subsequently pedestrianised.

When the Interchange first opened, there was a staffed ticket office and indoor waiting area with toilet facilities located in a small building between the Greens Way stands and John Street.

However, around the time of the beginning of the Great Recession, the staffed ticket office was closed and all facilities inside were sealed off as an austerity measure.