The name Brough is thought to have come from the Gaelic "burh" meaning "fortified place". Evidence has been found of Bronze Age settlement, but finds of worked flints,including a Neolithic flint knife, suggest earlier habitation.

The area was inhabited by the Parisi tribe, who were Celts, and Brough became their capital around 150 BC. During the Roman occupation of Brough, from about 70 AD, the settlement was named Petuaria, and a fortress was built which covered about 4.5 acres. A road was constructed from the Haven, out along what is now Cave Road, to York. In 125 AD the army left and by 270 AD the prospering town of Petuaria covered about 12 acres and was surrounded by a 9 foot thick stone wall. The present day Burrs playing field (pictured right) covers about a third of the old Roman site, and was excavated to a depth of 5 feet in the 1930s.

By the 4th Century the town had begun to decline with the increasing importance of York, and the tidal Humber waters had destroyed much of the southern fortress wall. A sudden rise in water levels left the Haven silted up and eventually much of the fortifications were demolished, with the stone being used to build the growing mediaeval city of Kingston-upon-Hull.

In 1239 the local lord attempted to establish a weekly market, and a two day annual fair, at "Burgus-upon-Humbre" as it was then known. He was unsuccessful and the adjacent village of Elloughton retained its importance. The township of "Elloughton cum Brough" is shown in records from 1796 to have had a population of 355, which had grown to 1009 by 1905, largely following development of the railways and the opening of Brough station in 1840.

The Blackburn Aircraft Company opened its Brough factory in 1916 and as the company expanded, becoming a major employer, many more people were attracted to the village. Considerable housing developments throughout this century, the increase in vehicle ownership and improving road links with Hull have all resulted in Brough becoming the thriving urban centre it is today.