The origin of the village name is open to some debate and is thought to either come from the name "Begas Barrow" (meaning badger's hill)  or from an amalgamation of the family name "Baga" and the Old English word for hill, "beorg". In either case, by 1086, when the Doomsday Book was compiled, the name had become Bageberge.

Enclosure of lands within the parish was authorised by an Act of Parliament in 1806.

In October 2001 a hoard of 4th-century Roman Silver was discovered in the village. The 681 coins included two denarii from the early 2nd century and eight miliarense and 671 siliqua all dating from the period AD 337 – 367. The majority were struck in the reigns of emperors Constantius II and Julian and derive from a range of mints including Arles and Lyons in France, Trier in Germany and Rome.

At present the population is around 390.