Halifax was, from 1894 to 1937, a rural district

Rural district

Rural districts were a type of local government area – now superseded – established at the end of the 19th century in England, Wales, and Ireland for the administration of predominantly rural areas at a level lower than that of the administrative counties.-England and Wales:In England...

 in the administrative county

Administrative counties of England

Administrative counties were a level of subnational division of England used for the purposes of local government from 1889 to 1974. They were created by the Local Government Act 1888 as the areas for which county councils were elected. Some large counties were divided into several administrative...

 of Yorkshire, West Riding

West Riding of Yorkshire

The West Riding of Yorkshire is one of the three historic subdivisions of Yorkshire, England. From 1889 to 1974 the administrative county, County of York, West Riding , was based closely on the historic boundaries...

, England

England

England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...

.

The district was created by the Local Government Act 1894

Local Government Act 1894

The Local Government Act 1894 was an Act of the Parliament of the United Kingdom that reformed local government in England and Wales outside the County of London. The Act followed the reforms carried out at county level under the Local Government Act 1888...

 as successor to the Halifax Rural Sanitary District

Sanitary district

Sanitary districts were established in England and Wales in 1875 and in Ireland in 1878. The districts were of two types, based on existing structures:*Urban sanitary districts in towns with existing local government bodies...

, and was abolished by a county review order under the Local Government Act 1929

Local Government Act 1929

The Local Government Act 1929 was an Act of the Parliament of the United Kingdom that made changes to the Poor Law and local government in England and Wales....

 in 1937.

Area

The district initially consisted of seven civil parish

Civil parish

In England, a civil parish is a territorial designation and, where they are found, the lowest tier of local government below districts and counties...

es surrounding, but not including, the town of Halifax

Halifax, West Yorkshire

Halifax is a minster town, within the Metropolitan Borough of Calderdale in West Yorkshire, England. It has an urban area population of 82,056 in the 2001 Census. It is well-known as a centre of England's woollen manufacture from the 15th century onward, originally dealing through the Halifax Piece...

. The district was in four portions, divided from each other by various urban district

Urban district

In the England, Wales and Ireland, an urban district was a type of local government district that covered an urbanised area. Urban districts had an elected Urban District Council , which shared local government responsibilities with a county council....

s and municipal borough

Municipal borough

Municipal boroughs were a type of local government district which existed in England and Wales between 1835 and 1974, in Northern Ireland from 1840 to 1973 and in the Republic of Ireland from 1840 to 2002...

s. In 1899 the parish of Skircoat was absorbed by the County Borough of Halifax, and the rural district consisted of the following parishes until abolition:

Parish	Notes	Fate in 1937
Clifton Clifton, West Yorkshire Clifton is a small village, near Brighouse, in the Metropolitan borough of Calderdale in West Yorkshire, England.-Governance:Clifton Civil Parish merged with the neighbouring Borough of Brighouse in 1937...	Together with Hartshead formed an area to the east of Halifax	Split between boroughs of Brighouse (2089 acres (8.5 km²)) and Spenborough (73 acre (0.29542078 km²))
Fixby Fixby Fixby is a suburb in north-west Kirklees bordering neighbouring Calderdale and is traditionally part of Huddersfield in the English county of West Yorkshire...	Parish formed an isolated area to the south of Halifax	Most (660 acres (2.7 km²)) passed to County Borough of Huddersfield, part (184 acre (0.74462224 km²)) to Elland UD
Hartshead Hartshead Hartshead is a village in Kirklees, West Yorkshire, England, west of Dewsbury and near Hartshead Moor.The village has pre-Norman Conquest origins; the Walton Cross dated from the 8th century....	Together with Clifton formed an area to the east of Halifax	Most passed to Borough of Spenborough (881 acres (3.6 km²)) part to Borough of Brighouse (27 acre (0.10926522 km²))
Norland Norland The Norland was a P&O roll-on/roll-off ferry operating between Kingston upon Hull in Yorkshire, England and Rotterdam Europoort, Netherlands and then Zeebrugge, Belgium. The 27,000 tonne ferry was built in 1974 by AG Weser, Bremerhaven for Dutch North Sea Ferries partners Noordzee Veerdiensten N.V...	Together with Upper Greetland formed an area to the south east of Halifax	Merged with Luddenden Foot Luddendenfoot Luddendenfoot or Luddenden Foot is a community in Calderdale, West Yorkshire, England. It lies along the Upper Calder Valley below the village of Luddenden, between Sowerby Bridge and Hebden Bridge.-Cultural reference and notable people:...  and Sowerby Sowerby The Sowerby family was a British family of four generations of naturalists, illustrators, botanists, and zoologists.*James Sowerby **James De Carle Sowerby **George Brettingham Sowerby I...  UDs to form Sowerby Bridge UD
Norwood Green Norwood Green, West Yorkshire Norwood Green is a small village situated between Bradford, Halifax and Huddersfield in West Yorkshire, England. It is in the metropolitan borough of Calderdale. It once had a railway station on the Caldervale Line.- Nightlife and entertainment :...  and Coley Coley Coley may refer to:Animals*Coley , a type of cat from West Bridgford*Coley , a type of fish, similar to codPlaces*Coley , a band from the Eastern Townships of Quebec*Coley, Berkshire, a suburb of Reading, Berkshire, England...	Parish formed an isolated area north east of Halifax	Absorbed by Borough of Brighouse
Upper Greetland Greetland Greetland is a village in the metropolitan borough of Calderdale in West Yorkshire, England. It is located west of nearby Elland and south of Halifax.-Local history:The village may have been the site of a Roman settlement named Cambodunum...	Together with Norland formed an area to the south west of Halifax	Absorbed by Elland UD