There is some evidence of an Iron Age settlement on top of nearby Burton Moor that has been designated a Scheduled Ancient Monument.

The toponymy of the village is derived from the Old English burh-tūn meaning a fortified farm.

[6] At the time of the Norman invasion the village was part of the manor belonging to Thorkil, but afterwards the manor was granted to Geoffrey of Swaffham by Count Alan of Brittany, who had been awarded the lands by the Crown.

[5] The manor befell the same fate as other lands belonging to Geoffrey in that they eventually passed to Richard Duke of Gloucester in 1480.

[13] West Burton lies within the Yorkshire Dales National Park[14] on the B6160 road to Addingham.

[8] Pupils receive secondary education at The Wensleydale School & Sixth Form in Leyburn.

[19] There are a number of local businesses including a butchers shop, a small pottery, general store and a public house.

[20] In their retirement, musical theatre actress Pat Kirkwood and her husband Peter Knight, the former president of Bradford & Bingley, lived in the village for ten years.