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The church is dedicated to St Cuthbert (d.687). Cuthbert was originally a shepherd and he entered the Celtic monastery of Melrose in 651 and 664 became prior of Lindisfarne. From 676 to 684 (when he became bishop) he was a hermit of the Farne Islands, to which he returned in 686. His life symbolizes the ascetic tradition of the Celtic church, and he had a high reputation as a preacher and bishop. His relics were moved to Durham in 1104.

The tradition that Edenhall was one of the churches built to mark the resting places of monks who bore the body of St Cuthbert during their wanderings after the Danish invasion in 875 rests upon the authority of John Wessingston, Prior of Durham (1416-46), but the fact that Edenhall lies upon the traditional route followed by the monks and the existence of St Cuthbert's Well which is nearby would justify the claim.

The present church has its origins in the 12th century with repairs in 1662 by Sir Philip Musgrave and renovations taking place in 1834 for the Musgrave family. It is built of red sandstone.