Dorchester Parish, New Brunswick

This article is about the geographic parish, former local service district, and rural census subdivision. For the community, see Dorchester, New Brunswick.

Dorchester is a geographic parish in Westmorland County, New Brunswick, Canada.^[4]

Dorchester
Parish
Location within Westmorland County, New Brunswick.
Coordinates: 46.19°N 64.60°W / 46.19; -64.60
Country	Canada
Province	New Brunswick
County	Westmorland County
Erected	1787
Area [1]
• Land	90.13 km2 (34.80 sq mi)
Population  (2021)[1]
• Total	438
• Density	4.9/km2 (13/sq mi)
• Change 2016-2021	2.1%
• Dwellings	207
Time zone	UTC-4 (AST)
• Summer (DST)	UTC-3 (ADT)
Figures do not include portions within the city of Dieppe, the villages of Dorchester and Memramcook, and the Fort Folly 1 Indian reserve

For governance purposes it is divided between the city of Dieppe, the town of Tantramar, the incorporated rural community of Strait Shores,^[5] the Fort Folly 1 Indian reserve, and the Southeast rural district.^[6] With exception of the Indian reserve, all are members of the Southeast Regional Service Commission.^[7]

Prior to the 2023 governance reform, the parish was divided between the villages of Dorchester and Memramcook;^[8] the Indian reserve; and the local service district of the parish of Dorchester, which further included the special services area of Calhoun Road.^[9]

Origin of name

The parish was named in honour of the Baron of Dorchester,^[10] Governor General of British North America at the time and elder brother of Thomas Carleton, Governor of New Brunswick.

Boundary History

Dorchester was erected in 1787 from unassigned territory between Moncton and Sackville Parishes.^[11] The parish included parts of modern Moncton, Sackville, and Shediac Parishes.

In 1827 the northeastern part of Dorchester was included in the newly erected Shediac Parish.^[12]

In 1835 all of Dorchester north of a line due east from the mouth of Fox Creek was transferred to Moncton Parish.^[13]

In 1894 northern line was changed to a magnetic bearing running 6° 15' south of due east.^[14] The 1894 boundaries were made retroactive to the erection of the parish.

Boundaries

Dorchester Parish is bounded:^[2][15][16]

• on the north by a line running south 83º 45' east^[a] from the southern side of the mouth of Fox Creek to a point about 5.75 kilometres past the Memramcook River;
• on the east and southeast by a line running south 11º west^[b] about 24 kilometres to a point about 100 metres south of Route 106, on the prolongation of the southeast line of a grant to John Sherwood on Shepody Bay, then running along the prolongation and grant line to strike Shepody Bay at the junction of Ralph Stiles Road and Route 935;
• on the west by Shepody Bay and the Petitcodiac River.

Communities

Communities at least partly within the parish.^[15][16][20] bold indicates an incorporated municipality or Indian reserve

• Calhoun
• Cherry Burton
• Dieppe
  • Upper Dover
• Dorchester
• Dorchester Cape
• Fort Folly 1
• Middleton
• Taylor Village
• Upper Dorchester
• village of Memramcook
  • Beaumont
  • Belliveau Village
  • Boudreau Village
  • Breau Creek
  • College Bridge
  • Cormier Cove
  • Dover
  • Gautreau Village
  • Gaytons
  • La Hêtrière
  • La Montagne
  • Le Lac
  • Little Dover
  • McGinleys Corner
  • Memramcook^[c]
  • Memramcook East
  • Memramcook West
  • Pré-d'en-Haut
  • Saint-Joseph

Bodies of water

Bodies of water^[d] at least partly within the parish.^[15][16][20]

• Memramcook River
• Petitcodiac River
• Belliveau Creek
• Boudreau Creek
• Boyd Creek
• Breau Creek
• Cormier Cove Creek
• Downing Creek
• Grindstone Creek
• LeBlanc Creek
• McFarlane Creek
• Palmers Creek
• Rockwell Creek
• Steeves Creek
• Stony Creek
• Turner Creek
• Upper Creek
• Shepody Bay
• Folly Lake
• Memramcook Lake

Other notable places

Parks, historic sites, and other noteworthy places at least partly within the parish.^{[15][16][20][21]}

• Dorchester Penitentiary
• Johnson's Mills Protected Natural Area
• Shepody Healing Centre
• Westmorland Institution

Demographics

Parish population total does not include the village of Dorchester, Memramcook, Fort Folly 1, and the portion within Dieppe

Population Historical populations Dorchester Parish, NB Year Pop. ±% 1991 532 —     1996 555 +4.3% 2001 468 −15.7% 2006 460 −1.7% 2011 477 +3.7% 2016 429 −10.1% [22][23][24]

Language Mother tongue (2016)[24] Language Population Pct (%) English only 345 81.2% French only 75 17.6% Both English and French 0 0% Other languages 5 1.2%

Access routes

Highways and numbered routes that run through the parish, including external routes that start or finish at the parish limits:^[25]

Highways Route 2 (TCH)

Principal Routes Route 106

Secondary Routes: Route 925 Route 935

External Routes: None

See also

• List of parishes in New Brunswick

Notes

1. By the magnet of 1894,^[14] when declination in the area was between 21º and 22º west of north.^[17] The Territorial Division Act clause referring to magnetic direction bearings was omitted in the 1952^[18] and 1973 Revised Statutes.^[2]
2. By the magnet of 1765,^[19] when declination in the area was a bit more than 14º west of north.^[17]
3. The community of Memramcook is part of the village of Memramcook.
4. Not including brooks, ponds or coves.

References

1. "Census Profile". Statistics Canada. 26 October 2022. Retrieved 29 October 2022.
2. "Chapter T-3 Territorial Division Act". Government of New Brunswick. Retrieved 26 March 2023.
3. "Chapter I-13 Interpretation Act". Government of New Brunswick. Retrieved 26 March 2023.
4. The Territorial Division Act^[2] divides the province into 152 parishes, the cities of Saint John and Fredericton, and one town of Grand Falls. The Interpretation Act^[3] clarifies that parishes include any local government within their borders.
5. "Southeast Regional Service Commission: RSC 7". Government of New Brunswick. Retrieved 26 March 2023.
6. "Southeast Regional Service Commission: RD 7". Government of New Brunswick. Retrieved 26 March 2023.
7. "Regions Regulation – Regional Service Delivery Act". Government of New Brunswick. 21 July 2022. Retrieved 26 March 2023.
8. "New Brunswick Regulation 85-6 under the Municipalities Act (O.C. 85-45)". Government of New Brunswick. Retrieved 23 July 2020.
9. "Local Service Districts Regulation - Municipalities Act". Government of New Brunswick. 25 June 2021. Retrieved 26 March 2023.
10. Ganong, William F. (1896). A Monograph of the Place-Nomenclature of the Province of New Brunswick. Royal Society of Canada. p. 230. Retrieved 17 March 2021.
11. "27 Geo. III Chapter VII. An Act in Addition to an Act for the better ascertaining and confirming the Boundaries of the several Counties within this Province, and for Subdividing them into Towns or Parishes.". Acts of the General Assembly, of His Majesty's Province of New-Brunswick, Passed in the Year 1787. Saint John, New Brunswick: Government of New Brunswick. 1787. p. 147. Retrieved 27 March 2021.
12. "8 Geo. IV c. 13 An Act to erect the North-eastern part of the County of Westmoreland into a distinct Town or Parish, and also to authorize the appointment of Parish Officers at the November General Sessions in each year.". Acts of the General Assembly of His Majesty's Province of New-Brunswick, Passed in the Year 1827. Fredericton: Government of New Brunswick. 1827. pp. 28–30. Retrieved 27 March 2021.
13. "5 Wm. IV c. 15 An Act to alter the boundary line between certain Parishes in the County of Westmorland.". Acts of the General Assembly of His Majesty's Province of New-Brunswick, Passed in the Year 1835. Fredericton: Government of New Brunswick. 1835. p. 27. Retrieved 27 March 2021.
14. "57 Vic. c. 36 An Act to amend Chapter 2 of the Consolidated Statutes, of 'The division of the Province into Counties, Towns and Parishes,' so far as relates to the County of Westmorland.". Acts of the General Assembly of Her Majesty's Province of New Brunswick. Passed in the Month of April, 1894. Fredericton: Government of New Brunswick. 1894. pp. 162–163. Available as a free ebook from Google Books.
15. "No. 120". Provincial Archives of New Brunswick. Department of Natural Resources and Energy Development. Retrieved 24 June 2021. Remainder of parish on maps 132, 133, and 144 at same site.
16. "359" (PDF). Transportation and Infrastructure. Government of New Brunswick. Retrieved 24 June 2021. Remainder of parish on mapbooks 360, 380, 381, 400, and 401 at same site.
17. "Historical Magnetic Declination". National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. Retrieved 2 May 2021.
18. "Chapter 227 Territorial Division Act". The Revised Statutes of New Brunswick 1952 Volume III. Fredericton: Government of New Brunswick. 1952. pp. 3725–3771.
19. "13 Vic. c. 51 An Act to consolidate all the Laws now in force for the division of the Province into Counties, Towns and Parishes.". Acts of the General Assembly of Her Mjaesty's Province of New Brunswick, Passed in the Year 1850. Fredericton: Government of New Brunswick. 1850. pp. 142–152, 145–149. Book was poorly proofread, resulting in title typo and reuse of page numbers 145–152.
20. "Search the Canadian Geographical Names Database (CGNDB)". Government of Canada. Retrieved 3 July 2021.
21. "Explore New Brunswick's Protected Natural Areas". GeoNB. Retrieved 3 July 2021.
22. Statistics Canada: 2001, 2006 census
23. 2011 Statistics Canada Census Profile: Dorchester Parish, New Brunswick
24. "Census Profile, 2016 Census: Dorchester, Parish [Census subdivision], New Brunswick". Statistics Canada. Retrieved 5 October 2019.
25. Atlantic Canada Back Road Atlas ISBN 978-1-55368-618-7

46.023668°N 64.603729°W / 46.023668; -64.603729 (Dorchester Parish, New Brunswick)