It covered the area of the present-day districts of Kanchipuram, Chengalpattu and Tiruvallur and parts of Chennai city.

In 1859, the capital Saidapet, now a neighbourhood in the city of Chennai, was made the administrative headquarters of the district.

The Pallavas with their capital at Kanchi came to power in about 500 A. D. When the Pallava kingdom began to decline, the region was conquered by the Western Gangas in about 760 A. D. Chingleput was ruled by the Rashtrakutas, Cholas and the Kakatiyas of Warangal until the 13th century AD when it fell to the Delhi Sultanate.

In 1763, Chingleput was ceded to the British East India Company by Mohammad Ali, the then Nawab of the Carnatic.

In 1801, the Nawab of the Carnatic, finally, relinquished complete sovereignty over the region to the British East India Company.