It is uncertain when the church was first established in Berrick but the fact that it is dedicated to Saint Helen suggests that it may have been founded (or refounded) in the late eighth century when King Offa of Mercia recaptured the Benson area from Wessex. Holmes writes "St. Helen – an unusual dedication for Oxfordshire but allegedly a favourite of Offa". Apart from Berrick and Benson churches, there is only one in the county dedicated to St Helen, at Albury (near Thame).