Wigglesworth lies just outside the boundary of the National Landscape, but is on an important route linking Settle to the eastern part of Bowland. The name of the village is believed to have originated in Saxon times: from 'wicel' being the name of a person, or 'wincel' meaning 'of the child' forming the first part, with the last part 'worth' deriving from the Anglo-Saxon word 'wory', pronounced 'worth'.