Prescot is believed to be Anglo-Saxon in origin, with the name meaning a 'priest cottage'. It was the centre of an extensive parish, within the West Derby Hundred which included fourteen other townships.

In 1333 the Lord of the Manor, William D'Acre, was granted the right to hold a weekly market. The manor was sold in 1391 to John of Gaunt and on his death passed to his son, who subsequently became Henry IV.