 The river also demarcated the eastern edge of the region of "Gunolfesmores" in the Middle Ages and, later, the Manor of Hoghton.The name is first recorded in about 1160 as "Rodtholfeswrtha", suggesting a derivation meaning "the homestead of Hrothwulf".The Roddlesworth runs through a wooded valley close to the settlements of Tockholes, Roddlesworth, Abbey Village and Stanworth before joining the River Darwen close to Feniscowles.