The name Farnworth means "the enclosure among the ferns" and according to a source dated 1787, the area was overrun with ferns. The earliest recorded name is Ffornword (from a land survey in 1282), becoming Ferneworth before it's modern name. In the 13th Century, the area was jointly owned by two landlords of Manchester and Barton.

The industrial history starts in 1611 when George Hulton dug the first coal pits. By 1848 there were 20 pits in the area.