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The name Faringdon means fern covered hill. It was the capital of the ancient kingdom of Wessex. There was a castle by Alfred the Great located in Faringdon.

In the Domesday book, Faringdon is recorded as a manor and a mill. The town was given a royal charter by King John in 1216. The weekly market is still held today.

During the English Civil War, Sir Robert Pye was kept prisoner in his own home: the Faringdon House. The house was built in around 1730. The spire of the All Saints church was partly destroyed by a cannon-ball that went astray.

The Town Hall dates from the 17th century. It remains the centre of the town and its focal point.