The second element in the name Worsthorne is probably from the
Old English , a thorny bush. Its first is less certain, possibly (homestead) or a personal name as in
Worthing. With Hurstwood, is thought to mean a wooded prominence, as 'wood' (OE ) has been appended, it may just mean a prominence in this case. A
Bronze Age round cairn and
bowl barrow are located on Hameldon Pasture, with a
ring cairn nearby on Slipper Hill. The remains of two
Romano-British farmsteads known as Ring Stones camp is also in the area. All are protected as
Scheduled monuments. Traces of a
Roman road have been reported heading north-west from Ring Stones. After the
Norman conquest of England, the area may have been part of
Briercliffe township, and the
lords of Clitheroe appear to have divided Worsthorne among a number of free tenants. In 1292
Henry de Lacy granted the homage and service of the free tenants of Worsthorne to Oliver de Stansfield, his receiver for
Pontefract. In 1311 Worsthorne was listed as a
manor, and by 1332 it was regarded as an independent township. Control of the manor would stay with the Stansfield family until 1560. During
World War II a
Starfish site bombing decoy was constructed off Gorple Road to the east of Worsthorne, part of a network designed to protect
Accrington. Also a
B-24 Liberator from the
491st Bombardment Group USAAF crashed on Black Hameldon in February 1945. ==Geography==