In medieval times Espershields belonged to the lordship of Baliol. It is first mentioned in medieval documents dating to the 13th century, when the number of tenants and leaseholders were recorded. In the 14thcentury it was a hamlet. It has remained a small settlement as only four tenants were recorded there in the 18th century and today there is only one farm. There are no earthworks visible in the fields around the farm, perhaps destroyed by modern farming.