Craven in the Domesday Book shows that until 1066 Bo was the lord of Settle but after the Harrying of the North (1069–1071) the land was granted to Roger de Poitou.

John Lambert of Calton in Malhamdale, was a general in Cromwell's army and his troops camped at Settle in August 1651 while on the road to an encounter in Lancaster.

[5] Daniel Defoe wrote "Settle is the capital of an isolated little kingdom of its own surrounded by barren hills.

[6]: p.105 In the 1700s, textile industrialists supported by traders and landowners campaigned for a turnpike to connect with growing industrial towns.

The minute book for the Keighley and Kendal Turnpike Trust shows that most investors were mill owners from the Giggleswick district.

The mill owners imported coal and, like the heavy industries that exported agricultural lime and sandstone masonry, welcomed the turnpike for access via carrier waggons to the Leeds and Liverpool Canal at Gargrave.

[11] Settle is part of the parliamentary constituency of Skipton and Ripon, represented in the House of Commons of the UK Parliament since 2010 by Julian Smith MP, a Conservative.

Following local government reorganisation, it is now in the Settle & Penyghent division of the new North Yorkshire Council unitary authority.

Immediately overlooking the town is Castlebergh, a 300 feet (91 m) limestone crag, and to the east is Malham which was in the former Settle Rural District.

Giggleswick railway station is sited 1 mile (1.6 km) away from Settle and is on the Bentham line between Leeds and Morecambe.

The main road through Settle is the B6480, which links to the A65; it connects the town with Leeds, Ilkley, Skipton and Kendal.

[20] Settle's market is held weekly on Tuesdays in the town-centre marketplace and in the Victoria Hall, a short distance away on Kirkgate.

[22] The Square is surrounded by local businesses, most of which are family-owned, with some offering items for sale unique to the Settle area.

In 1996, the North Craven Building Preservation Trust[28] purchased part of the Folly, restored it and opened it to the public in 2001.

There are permanent displays, including the Settle to Carlisle Railway, Robert (Mouseman) Thompson furniture and local history.

Craven Museum & Gallery[32] in Skipton has an exhibition of items which includes a bear's skull found in one of the caves.

[36] Settle Middle School closed as part of the money-saving measures taken by North Yorkshire County Council.