For governance purposes it is divided between the city of Miramichi;[5] the Indian reserves of Big Hole Tract 8 (North Half), Big Hole Tract 8 (South Half), Eel Ground 2, Indian Point 1, Red Bank 4, and Red Bank 7; the incorporated rural community of Miramichi River Valley,[5] and the Greater Miramichi rural district.[6] The city, rural community, and rural district are all members of the Greater Miramichi Regional Service Commission.[7]
Prior to the 2023 governance reform, the parish was divided between Miramichi,[6] the various Indian reserves, and local service districts of Sunny Corner and the parish of North Esk,[8] which included an area along Route 430 that is now part of Miramichi.
Origin of name
The parish was named in honour of the Earl of Northesk,[9] third in command at the Battle of Trafalgar. Six of the parishes erected simultaneously in Northumberland County in 1814[10] were named for prominent British military figures.
History
Northesk was erected in 1814 from part of Newcastle Parish and unassigned territory to the west and north.[10] It contained part of Newcastle Parish until 1824, and most of Southesk Parish along with parts of Derby until 1879.
on the east by a line beginning on the Gloucester County line about 10.2 kilometres westerly of the Canadian National Railway line, then running south[a] to the southeastern corner of a grant to Oliver Willard on the western side of Jones Cove;
When Northesk was erected it had fairly similar boundaries to the combination of modern Northesk and Southesk Parish, although it contained part of the former town of Newcastle, from about the intersection of Newcastle Boulevard and Beaverbrook to Jones Cove; a triangle in its northeastern corner was part of Newcastle Parish.
In 1824 the boundary with Newcastle was moved to Jones Cove and ran more northerly, losing a triangle of land in the south but gaining a triangle of territory from Newcastle.[17]
In 1850 the southern boundary with Nelson Parish was moved north,[13] placing part of Warwick Settlement in Nelson. The boundary was moved back to its original location in 1856.[19]
Communities at least partly within the parish.[11][12][20]bold indicates an incorporated municipality or Indian reserve; italics indicates a name no longer in official use
^By the magnet of 1850,[13] when declination in the area was between 20º and 21º west of north.[14] The Territorial Division Act clause referring to magnetic direction bearings was omitted in the 1952[15] and 1973 Revised Statutes.[2]
^By the magnet of 1879,[16] when declination in the area was between 22º and 23º west of north.[14]
^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.
^ abcde"No. 26". Provincial Archives of New Brunswick. Department of Natural Resources and Energy Development. Retrieved 18 June 2021. Remainder of parish on maps 27, 37–40, 47–51, 57–60, 68, and 69 at same site.
^ abcde"087"(PDF). Transportation and Infrastructure. Government of New Brunswick. Retrieved 18 June 2021. Remainder of parish on mapbooks 088, 089, 105–109, 126–132, 149–155, 167–172, 185–188, 202, and 203 at same site.
^"Chapter 227 Territorial Division Act". The Revised Statutes of New Brunswick 1952 Volume III. Fredericton: Government of New Brunswick. 1952. pp. 3725–3771.
^ ab"42 Vic. c. 37 An Act to erect part of the Parish of Northesk, in the County of Northumberland, into a separate Parish.". Acts of the General Assembly of Her Majesty's Province of New Brunswick. Passed in the Month of April 1879. Fredericton: Government of New Brunswick. 1879. pp. 77–78. Available as a free ebook from Google Books.
