The village of Launton was first officially recorded in 1065 AD, as part of a document which detailed all of King Edward the Confessor's estates. Edward gifted the manor of Launton to Westminster Abbey that same year. The manor was eventually surrendered to the Crown in 1556.

The name 'Launton' was derived from the Anglo-Saxon word for 'long settlement' - possibly hinting towards the possibility that the area had been populated for long time prior, or, more likely, due to the shape of the original settlement.

The first known person to lease the manor of Launton was John Manning, yeoman of Westminster, who took out a lease of 31 years in 1526, paying 6 marks for the privilege (1 mark was worth roughly two thirds of a pound).

The following individuals leased the manor in subsequent years:

- 1542: Thomas Perkin, yeoman of Eynsham; 65 year lease, paying 6 marks.
- 1576: Ralph Heydon, who picked up the remaining interest on the above lease.
- 1598: Humphrey Moore, yeoman of Bicester; 3 lifetimes' lease, paying £4, 8 beeves and 40 mutton, all of which equated to a sum of £36 and 13 shillings. ('Beeves' was an old term for cattle).
- 1600: Francis Ewer, gentleman of Launton... Clearly, this means that Mr Moore's lease of 3 lifetimes didn't actually happen!
- 1608: Roger Mountney, gentleman of Norfolk.
- 1616: Sir John Dormer of Dorton, Buckinghamshire.
- 1630: Richard Oakley of Oakley.
- 1663: William Oakley of Oakley.
- 1697: George Walcot, merchant of London, and John Crump, gentleman of Barnard's Inn.
- 1737: Sir Archer Croft of Croft Castle, Hereford.
- 1747: John Walcot and Andrew Hill, both of Salop.
- 1766: the Earl of Jersey.
- 1769: the Earl of Guildford and George Grenville of Wotton, Buckinghamshire (trustees under the name of the Earl of Jersey).
- 1810: the Duke of Bedford and George Bainbridge of Southampton.

In 1291, the manor (including rents, meadows, the mill and manorial court) was valued at £16, 11s and 2d per annum. Its 'flocks and beasts' were valued at £1.

In 1349, the tenants of nearby Caversfield (which was at that time in the county of Buckinghamshire) petitioned the court in order to be allowed commoner's rights at Launton - this was granted, in return for the people of Caversfield providing ploughing services, along with payment of 'one harvest boon' (a feast provided for peasants living within the local Lord's jurisdiction, traditionally held at harvest time) per tenant. Unfortunately, both sides repeatedly failed to adhere to these terms, necessitating the involvement of higher powers such as the Abbot of Westminster.

The manorial court was where local people would go seeking resolutions to disputes, as well as dealing with crime/matters of law.

Widows within the parish were allowed to inherit their husband's land and commoner's rights, however, they were obliged to marry within a period of precisely one year and one day following their husbands' deaths, or face a hefty fine/being stripped of their assets; in 1326, John Alisot and John de Baynton attended the court, because they both wished to marry Agnes, widow of William King.

Agnes did not wish to marry either man, so willingly paid two fines (one per man - 3s 4d and 1s 6d respectively). The court proposed that she marry an unnamed third man, but Agnes once again refused; this time, the court ordered the seizure of all of her 'lands and chattels' (assets).

Religion was, of course, very important in Launton - just as it was everywhere else. Roman Catholicism was extremely rare in the village throughout its history, with the only recorded Catholic that I can find during these turbulent times being Susanna Ewer, wife of William Ewer, who was fined in 1592 for being found practising that faith.

Presbyterianism and Methodism did eventually reach Launton in the 18th century, but for the most part, the village residents remained firmly part of the Church of England.