Occupied since Neolithic times, as evidenced by the Grandes Brières dolmen, Tuffé developed from the High Middle Ages onwards, with the foundation of an abbey around 650. From the Middle Ages to the French Revolution, the monastery of Tuffé was also a large seigneurial estate bearing the title of barony; its power gave rise to emulation and sometimes rivalry with the neighbouring secular lords of Chéronne. At the end of the 19th century, the railway gave the village a new lease of life; it encouraged the establishment of an industrial estate, which is still partly responsible for the town's current economic dynamism.