The club was started in July 1919, when a group of local rugby players, some ex pupils of Queen Elizabeth School Barnet, formed Barnet Rugby Football Club. At that time there were only a few clubs in North London and none in Hertfordshire.

For the first 10 years, the Club never really had a permanent home, using various local fields marked out as pitches and local public houses for a cold wash and splash after the game. Prior to the outbreak of the Second World War, the Club was winter tenants of Barnet Cricket Club in Barnet Lane and later had the use of a shed and pitch at Gypsy Corner, which ultimately became the home of Old Elizabethans RFC. OEs RFC was created in 1935 and initially played home games at the rear of the Arkley Windmill using the Bell Pub, now The Gate, for refreshments and hospitality.

Both Barnet RFC and Old Elizabethans RFC reformed after the Second World War. Barnet resumed playing for a few years at the Cricket Club in Barnet Lane but, as the Club and the fixture list grew, a new home had to be found.

Following a large fund raising exercise, a lease was agreed with Barnet Urban District Council for the land at Byng Road Playing Fields, which is still the Club's current home venue. 65 years later the original Clubhouse, built with a 25 year lifespan, still stands and is used throughout the rugby season despite no longer being fit for purpose.

During the 1990s, both Clubs suffered, as with most other clubs, a reduction in the number of adult teams turning out. For the 1997/98 season, it was therefore agreed to merge Barnet RFC and Old Elizabethans RFC and be known as Barnet Elizabethans RFC. This strengthened the position of both clubs and since that time Barnet Elizabethans (BERFC) has gone from strength to strength.

BERFC is and will always remain a Not for Profit Community Amateur Sports Club run by volunteers and serving the local community.  The club has close to 800 members of all ages and genders, the majority of whom live in the town or close by.

The First XV plays in the London leagues and gained promotion last year. Other Senior sides play in the Hertfordshire-Middlesex Merit Tables. The Club has a very strong and active Mini and Junior section from under 7s to under 17s involving well over 350 child and youth players. In addition, there is also an academy team, Development Squad and an aspiring Ladies Section. The Junior teams play many matches in the Hertfordshire Middlesex Leagues sponsored by Saracens.