The manor of Broadhempston was originally a Saxon settlement and it is thought that a Saxon church may have stood on the site of the present church building. The tower is the oldest part of the current church, and some 13th century fabric survives in the restored chancel. The building otherwise mainly dates to the 15th century, including the screens, and was restored and parts rebuilt in the late 19th and early 20th centuries.
Most of the graffiti is found on the limestone piers and the screens. The marks include names and initials, probable apotropaic or protective marks including series of score marks and holes, a Marian-type M, a saltire cross, a ladder and a merel or asterisk-type motif.
The male stick figure scored into a pier is particularly interesting and although it could be the result of idle doodling, it is possible that it had a more serious purpose or meaning, perhaps representing someone. In other churches strange rudimentary figures have been found that seem likely to represent a particular character of folklore, or other story.