Stockport was 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Rural districts were a type of local government area – now superseded – established at the end of the 19th century in England, Wales, and Ireland for the administration of predominantly rural areas at a level lower than that of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 county

An administrative county was an administrative division in England and Wales and Ireland used for the purposes of local government. They are now abolished, although in Northern Ireland their former areas are used as the basis for lieutenancy....

 of Cheshire

Cheshire

Cheshire is a ceremonial county in North West England. Cheshire's county town is the city of Chester, although its largest town is Warrington. Other major towns include Widnes, Congleton, Crewe, Ellesmere Port, Runcorn, Macclesfield, Winsford, Northwich, and Wilmslow...

 from 1894 to 1904. The district was the successor to the Stockport 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...

 formed in 1875.

The rural district was originally composed of eight 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:

• Bosden
• Bramhall
  Bramhall
  Bramhall is a suburb of the Metropolitan Borough of Stockport, in Greater Manchester, England. It has a population of about 25,500.Research by the University of Sheffield has placed Bramhall as the "least lonely" place in Britain. Bramhall is also regarded as an affluent area where most residents...
  
  
• Norbury
  Norbury, Greater Manchester
  Norbury is a locality in Greater Manchester, England. It formed a civil parish in Cheshire from 1866 to 1900 and now forms part of the Hazel Grove area of the Metropolitan Borough of Stockport....
  
  
• Offerton
  Offerton, Greater Manchester
  Offerton is a suburb of Stockport, Greater Manchester. It includes the areas of Bosden Farm, Foggbrook and the Offerton Estate. It has one high school, Offerton School.-History:...
  
  
• Torkington
  Torkington
  Torkington is a place in Greater Manchester, England. It forms part of the Metropolitan Borough of Stockport-History:In 1875 Torkington was one of eight civil parishes of Cheshire to be included in the Stockport rural sanitary district...
  
  
• Brinnington
  Brinnington
  Brinnington is a north-eastern suburb of Stockport, Greater Manchester. It is known locally as "Brinny".It is situated on a bluff above a bend in the Tame Valley and is an area of vast regeneration, including the demolition of the Top Shops in 2007, which were replaced by new shops, 53 shared...
  
  
• Handforth
  Handforth
  Handforth is a suburban area situated between Wilmslow, Heald Green, and Styal in Cheshire, England. Travelling south from Manchester, Handforth is the first place in Cheshire, although other areas nearer Manchester lie within the historic boundaries of the county.In the 1950s, two overspill...
  
  
• Werneth renamed Compstall
  Compstall
  Compstall is a suburban village within the Metropolitan Borough of Stockport in Greater Manchester, England, between Marple Bridge and Romiley. It was formerly a mill village, built by George Andrew in the 1820s to house his 800 workers...
  
   1897

In 1900 Hazel Grove and Bramhall

Hazel Grove and Bramhall

Hazel Grove and Bramhall was a civil parish and urban district in north east Cheshire, England from 1900 to 1974.It was created in 1900 covering, from Stockport Rural District, the former area of the civil parishes of:*Bosden*Bramhall*Norbury*Offerton...

 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....

 was formed from five of the parishes in the rural district (Bosden, Bramhall, Norbury, Offerton, and Torkington).

In 1902 Compstall was constituted an urban district, and Brinnington became part of Bredbury and Romiley

Bredbury and Romiley

Bredbury and Romiley was an urban district in the administrative county of Cheshire, England from 1894 to 1974, which covered the Civil Parishes of Bredbury, Compstall and Romiley....

urban district. The remaining parish in the district, Handforth, became an urban district in 1904.