Alnwick is a civil parish in Northumberland County, New Brunswick, Canada.
For governance purposes it is divided between the village of Neguac, the Indian reserves of Esgenoôpetitj 14 and Tabusintac 9, the incorporated rural community of Alnwick, and the regional municipality of Tracadie. Neguac and Tracadie are members of the Acadian Peninsula Regional Service Commission, while Alnwick is a member of the Greater Miramichi RSC.
Prior to the 2023 governance reform, the rural community of Alnwick was divided between four local service districts: Fair Isle, Oak Point - Bartibog Bridge, Tabusintac, and the parish of Alnwick, which also included the islands that are now part of Neguac.
Origin of name
Alnwick and Newcastle Parishes were erected simultaneously. Alnwick and Newcastle are the county town and largest city of Northumberland County, England. This is probably the origin of the two parishes' names.
History
Alnwick was erected in 1786 as one of the original parishes of the county, with very different boundaries from today. The modern communities of Burnt Church and Bartibog were near or on the southern edge of the parish, which was nearly rectangular and ran west past the Nepisiguit River.
The 1814 reorganisation of Northumberland County's parishes gave Alnwick its modern shape, removing all territory in what's now Gloucester but adding modern Barryville, Oak Point, The Willows, Bartibog Bridge, and Winston.
Boundaries
Alnwick Parish is bounded:
on the north by the Gloucester County line; on the east by the Gulf of Saint Lawrence; on the south by Miramichi Bay, Miramichi Inner Bay, and Miramichi River; on the west by a line beginning at the mouth of the Bartibog River, then running upriver to the Route 8 bridge, then north to the county line; including Sheldrake Island, Portage Island, and all islands in front.
Evolution of boundaries
The 1786 boundaries were a line running due west from the mouth of the Big Tracadie River in the north, a line running due west from the northern tip of Portage Island in the south, and in the west a line running north from the mouth of Cains River in what's now Blackville Parish. Alnwick included most of the modern parish along with parts of Allardville, Bathurst, Newcastle, Northesk, and Saumarez Parishes.
The 1814 reorganisation of Northumberland County's parishes gave Alnwick nearly its modern boundaries, removing all territory in what's now Gloucester County and Newcastle and Northesk Parishes but adding modern Barryville, Oak Point, The Willows, Bartibog Bridge, and Winston. The Newcastle line ran only six miles up the Bartibog River before going north to the county line, probably putting the departure point south of Sproule Road.
In 1850 the western boundary was moved upriver to its current departure point, transferring a strip of territory to Alnwick, most of it wilderness.
Communities
Communities at least partly within the parish. bold indicates an incorporated municipality, Indian reserve, or regional municipality
Allainville
Barryville
B artibog Bridge
Bayshore
Breau Road
Burnt Church
Cains Point
Covedell
Drisdelle Settlement
Esgenoôpetitj 14
Fairisle
Gaythorne
Lagacéville
Lauvergot
Lavillette
Neguac
Comeau Settlement
Lower Neguac
Rivière-des-Caches
New Jersey
Oak Point
Price Settlement
Robichaud Settlement
Saint-Wilfred
Stymiest Road
Tabusintac
Tabusintac 9
The Willows
Regional Municipality of Tracadie
Brantville
Pontgravé
Rivière-du-Portage
Village-Saint-Laurent
Winston
Wishart Point
Bodies of water
Bodies of water at least partly in the parish.
Bartibog River
Big Eskedelloc River
Burnt Church River
Rivière des Caches
Rivière du Portage
Little Bartibog River
Little Eskedelloc River
Oyster River
Tabusintac River
Cowassaget Stream
Grand Lac
Gulf of St. Lawrence
Gammon Bay
Miramichi Bay
Neguac Bay
Tabusintac Bay
Grand Dune Inlet
Bass Fishing Channel
Old Seal Gully
Old Tabusintac Gully
Ship Channel
Tabusintac Gully
Islands
Islands at least partly in the parish.