Haughton-le-Skerne was a village until 1930,when Darlington County extended its boundaries. It stands about a mile and a half from Dalrington, and lies on the banks of the River Skerne. The village was first recorded in 1050 as Haltun,which in old English means farmstead on a haugh (haugh being a piece of flat land near a river). Later under Norman French influence the term 'le Skerne' (river) was added. Remains of the medieval village are present in the form of earthworks in the villages SW corner, whilst St Andrew's church (dating to c1125) and associated rectory (1200s) are the oldest standing buildings in this area.

Sadly, there are no remains of prehistoric or Roman date from the parish. The earliest archaeological evidence is a group of Anglo-Saxon carved stones which can be seen in the parish church. These show that although the current church is of 12th century date, there was probably an earlier, 9th or 10th century church on the site.

Haughton Village was first mentioned in 1050 AD, and is an old english name meaning 'farm on the haugh', where haugh means flat land by a river, or a water meadow. Le skerne was added post-Conquest.

Surrounding the village green are a number of Georgian period houses, many of which are listed. It is probable that the green format of the village show that the medieval extents of the village extend beyond the known recorded remains. Red Hall is surrounded by a medieval moat and archaeologists have found pottery dating from the late 13th to early 15th century. A more recent survey, which extended over playing fields, identified a series of features relating to the pre-modern agricultural exploitation of the landscape, including ridge and furrow, field boundaries, headlands and a large pond. Haughton Green has altered little in the last 100 years, many listed buildings (1900s) are to be found here. In the 19th century a flax mill stood in the village; it was later turned into a shoe thread factory, though it has long since disappeared.