It was named after what was then one of the country's largest sheep stations, Cheviot Hills.
The initial 24 New Zealand electorates were defined by Governor George Grey in March 1853, based on the New Zealand Constitution Act 1852 that had been passed by the British government.
[3] The first election in the Cheviot electorate was held on 18 December 1859, which was partway through the term of the 2nd New Zealand Parliament.
[6] Leonard Harper[7] was the only representative who did not serve through his whole term – he resigned on 2 April 1878.
[10] The electorate was represented by eight Members of Parliament:[10] Key Independent