The parish of St Anne formed an exclave to the west.
The two parishes also formed a royal bailiwick domain that was for almost all medieval and modern.
The parish was newly formed in 1934 by division from Weeford.
From the 12th century till 1753 the parish of Herscheid formed a court district.
Until 1974 the parish formed part of Bedford rural district.
The parish formed an urban district in Nottinghamshire until 1974.
At the time, parishes formed both a land use system and a system of local government.
The parish now forms part of the District of Purbeck.
The parish also forms part of the Newbury parliamentary constituency.
The parish of Heanor formed a local board in about 1850 to govern the town.