Woodstock is a geographic parish in Carleton County,

New Brunswick New Brunswick is a Provinces and Territories of Canada, province of Canada, bordering Quebec to the north, Nova Scotia to the east, the Gulf of Saint Lawrence to the northeast, the Bay of Fundy to the southeast, and the U.S. state of Maine to ...

Canada Canada is a country in North America. Its Provinces and territories of Canada, ten provinces and three territories extend from the Atlantic Ocean to the Pacific Ocean and northward into the Arctic Ocean, making it the world's List of coun ...

, surrounding the town of the same name on its landward side. Prior to the 2023 governance reform, for governance purposes it was comprised one town, one

Indian reserve In Canada, an Indian reserve () or First Nations reserve () is defined by the '' Indian Act'' as a "tract of land, the legal title to which is vested in Her Majesty, that has been set apart by Her Majesty for the use and benefit of a band." ...

, part of one village, and parts of three

local service district Local service district may refer to these administrative units in Canada: * Local service district (New Brunswick) A local service district (LSD) was a provincial administrative unit for the provision of local services in the Canadian province o ...

s, all of which except the Indian reserve were members of the Western Valley Regional Service Commission (WVRSC). The

Census subdivision The census geographic units of Canada are the census subdivisions defined and used by Canada's federal government statistics bureau Statistics Canada to conduct the country's quinquennial census. These areas exist solely for the purposes of st ...

of the same name includes all of the parish except the municipalities and Indian reserve.

Origin of name

The parish was named in honour of Viscount Woodstock, a junior title of the Duke of Portland,

Prime Minister of Great Britain The prime minister of the United Kingdom is the head of government of the United Kingdom. The prime minister advises the sovereign on the exercise of much of the royal prerogative, chairs the Cabinet, and selects its ministers. Modern pr ...

when the

Loyalist Loyalism, in the United Kingdom, its overseas territories and its former colonies, refers to the allegiance to the British crown or the United Kingdom. In North America, the most common usage of the term refers to loyalty to the British Cr ...

s arrived in New Brunswick.

History

Woodstock was erected in 1786 as one York County's original parishes. The parish included most of Richmond Parish and parts of

Canterbury Canterbury (, ) is a City status in the United Kingdom, city and UNESCO World Heritage Site, in the county of Kent, England; it was a county borough until 1974. It lies on the River Stour, Kent, River Stour. The city has a mild oceanic climat ...

Dumfries Dumfries ( ; ; from ) is a market town and former royal burgh in Dumfries and Galloway, Scotland, near the mouth of the River Nith on the Solway Firth, from the Anglo-Scottish border. Dumfries is the county town of the Counties of Scotland, ...

, McAdam, and North Lake Parishes.

Boundaries

Woodstock Parish is bounded: Remainder of parish on maps 111, 123, and 124 at same site. Remainder of parish on mapbooks 324, 344, 345, 365, and 366 at same site. * on the east by the Saint John River; * on the north by the northern line of a grant nearly opposite the mouth of Shaws Creek and its prolongation westerly; * on the west by the rear or western line of the second tier of lots west of the Saint John River, prolonged to the Eel River; * and on the south and southeast by the Eel River. * The parish also includes any islands in front of it in the Saint John River. The Territorial Division Act and cadastral map of the area are both moot on whether the northern boundary runs around or through Pine Island.

Evolution of boundaries

Woodstock's original boundaries extended along the southern bank of the Saint John River from just west of Pokiok to its modern northern line, which extended inland through what's now Richmond Parish. The parish extended inland from the river along its length, crossing into what's now Maine. In 1798 an international commission settled the boundary with the

United States The United States of America (USA), also known as the United States (U.S.) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It is a federal republic of 50 U.S. state, states and a federal capital district, Washington, D.C. The 48 ...

as far north as the boundary monument that marks the start of the southern boundary of Carleton County. In 1832 Carleton County was separated from York, with the county line running through Woodstock Parish. In 1833 the York County portion of Woodstock was included in the newly erected Dumfries Parish. In 1834 the boundary with York County was altered to run along grant lines as it neared the Saint John River. This exchanged several small pieces of territory along the Eel River with Dumfries Parish in York County. In 1838 all of Wakefield Parish south of the Meduxnekeag River along with any territory between Woodstock's western border and the boundary with the United States was annexed to Woodstock, putting part of Maine claimed by New Brunswick in the parish. In 1842 the boundary with the

was settled by the

Webster–Ashburton Treaty The Webster–Ashburton Treaty, signed August 9, 1842, was a treaty that resolved several border issues between the United States and the British North American colonies (the region that later became the Dominion of Canada). Negotiated in the U ...

. In 1850 the original county line was restored, reversing the 1834 territorial exchange with Dumfries. In 1853 all of Woodstock west of the first two tiers of grants was erected as Richmond Parish. In 1854 the northern boundary was extended through the Meduxnekeag, transferring parts of two grants straddling the river to Wakefield Parish.

Municipalities

The town of

Woodstock The Woodstock Music and Art Fair, commonly referred to as Woodstock, was a music festival held from August 15 to 18, 1969, on Max Yasgur's dairy farm in Bethel, New York, southwest of the town of Woodstock, New York, Woodstock. Billed as "a ...

sits at the mouth of the Meduxnekeag River, near the northeastern corner of the parish. The village of Meductic sits at the mouth of the Eel River, straddling the York County line.

Indian reserve

The Woodstock 23 Indian reserve stretches inland from the Saint John River, starting along Hodgdon Road and extending inland to King Road. The reserve belongs to the Woodstock First Nation, a Wəlastəkwewiyik band.

Local service districts

All LSDs assessed for the basic LSD services of

fire protection Fire protection is the study and practice of mitigating the unwanted effects of potentially Conflagration, destructive fires. It involves the study of the behaviour, Compartmentalization (fire protection), compartmentalisation, suppression and inve ...

, police services,

land use planning Land use planning or ''Land-use regulation'' is the process of regulating the Land use, use of land by a central authority. Usually, this is done to promote more desirable social and environmental outcomes as well as a more efficient resource u ...

, emergency measures, and dog control.

Woodstock Parish

The local service district of the parish of Woodstock originally contained all of the parish except Woodstock, Meductic, and Debec. The Indian reserve is under federal administration but not explicitly excluded from the LSD. A small wetland area west of the mouth of Fish Creek in Richmond Parish was added to this LSD in 2014. The LSD was established in 1966 to assess for fire protection following the elimination of county government under the new Municipalities Act. Community services were added in 1967 and recreational facilities in 1995. In 2020, Woodstock Parish assesses for the additional service of community & recreational services. The taxing authority was 218.00 Woodstock. LSD advisory committee? Yes. Chair Brian Hayden sat on the WVRSC board of directors from at least 2015.

Debec

Debec occupied an irregular area along the western side of the parish.

Benton

Benton straddled the county line at the bend of the Eel River, extending along the Benton, Lewin, and Caldwell Roads. The LSD was established in 1967 to add community planning and street lights. Community services were added in 1968. In 2020, Benton additionally assesses for street lighting and community & recreation services. The taxing authority was 219.00 Benton. LSDAC? Unknown.

Communities

Communities at least partly within the parish; bold indicates an incorporated municipality or

* Bedell Settlement * Benton * Bulls Creek * Dibblee * Hillman * Mapledale * Meductic * Porten Settlement * Riceville * Speerville * Springfield * Teeds Mills * Upper Woodstock * Valley *

* Woodstock 23 ** Indian Village

Bodies of water

Bodies of waterNot including brooks, ponds or coves. at least partly in the parish: * Eel River * Meduxnekeag River * Saint John River * Bulls Creek * Fish Creek * Lanes Creek * Hays Lake

Islands

Islands at least partly in the parish: * Woodstock Island

Other notable places

Parks, historic sites, and other noteworthy places at least partly in the parish. * Kindness Club Wildlife Refuge * Meduxnekeag Valley Protected Natural Area

Demographics

Parish population total does not include town of Woodstock, Woodstock 23

, and portion within Meductic

Population

Population trendStatistics Canada:

1951 Events January * January 4 – Korean War: Third Battle of Seoul – Chinese and North Korean forces capture Seoul for the second time (having lost the Second Battle of Seoul in September 1950). * January 9 – The Government of the Uni ...

1996 1996 was designated as: * International Year for the Eradication of Poverty Events January * January 8 – A Zairean cargo plane crashes into a crowded market in the center of the capital city of the Democratic Republic of the Congo ...

2001 The year's most prominent event was the September 11 attacks against the United States by al-Qaeda, which Casualties of the September 11 attacks, killed 2,977 people and instigated the global war on terror. The United States led a Participan ...

2006 2006 was designated as the International Year of Deserts and Desertification. Events January * January 1– 4 – Russia temporarily cuts shipment of natural gas to Ukraine during a price dispute. * January 12 – A stampede during t ...

census

Language

Mother tongue (2016)

Notes

References

{{coord, 46, 03, 36, N, 67, 36, 00, W, name=Woodstock Parish, New Brunswick, display=title, region:CA-NB_type:adm3rd_scale:100000 Local service districts of Carleton County, New Brunswick Parishes of Carleton County, New Brunswick