It was called as “Pueblo de Tinobagan” in 1840 when it was ruled by the friars headed by Fr. Eustaquio and appointed Juan Espinosa and Benigno Aguirre as cabezas to lead the two pueblos with their main duty is to collect taxes for the Spanish friars.When a Spanish army general visited the place, he re-christened Pueblo Tinobagan into San Enrique, and after this event the place improved, many newly infrastructure build like church, bridge and roads connecting Pueblo of Pontevedra(formerly Marayo) and Pueblo Valladoilid(formerly Dolid).For almost 50 years under the governance of Spanish, the people revolted against the injustice imposition of taxes by the Spanish friars.

A group of revolutionist led by Titong Custodio arrested all the Spaniards and brought them to the Pueblo of Buklod(now Bacolod) and this eventually the end of Spanish tyranny in the town.In 1898, a group of American soldiers arrived at the Sitio Utod of the town and proceeded to the town of La Carlota and lived there for almost three months. When they returned back to San Enrique, Americans appointed Victoriano Rodriguez as the first president of the town.

The convent in the town was temporarily used as municipal hall. In 1904, San Enrique was annexed to the town of La Carlota for almost three years. The townspeople petitioned in 1907 that they be separated from La Carlota, and Angel Ledesma was appointed president afterwards. 

The town of San Enrique is located in the southern part of Negros Occidental, it is rated as a 5th class municipality, compose of 10 barangays with the population of 22, 091 people in 4,419 households according to the 2000 NSO Census.