The village name is Anglo Saxon in origin, and means 'west cottage'.
In the 1980s Westcott was the location of a rocket testing station, which was located on the old airfield to the west of the main village. This has since been closed down, and the area is called the Westcott Venture Park.
The primary school in Westcott is one of the smallest schools in the country, with an average of 20 stduents at any one time. It has been open since the early Victorian period.