Sarry is an ancient fortified village. In the 11th and 12th centuries, it was part of the seigneury of Montréal, with the exception of a portion of land belonging to the abbey of Moutiers-Saint-Jean, part of the diocese of Langres.
During the French Revolution the name was changed from le-Roi (the king) to sur-Yonne (on the Yonne). In 1870 a memorial for the dead was designed by the sculptor Émile Peynot.