Pennfield is a geographic parish in Charlotte 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 ...

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, located west of Saint John located east of

St. George Saint George (;Geʽez: ጊዮርጊስ, , ka, გიორგი, , , died 23 April 303), also George of Lydda, was an early Christian martyr who is venerated as a saint in Christianity. According to holy tradition, he was a soldier in the ...

and west of Saint John. For governance purposes, Utopia and areas south of Route 780 are part of the incorporated rural community of

Eastern Charlotte Eastern Charlotte is a rural community in the Canadian province of New Brunswick. It was formed through the 2023 New Brunswick local governance reforms. History Eastern Charlotte was incorporated on January 1, 2023 via the amalgamation of the ...

, while the sparsely populated north and The Wolves islands in the Bay of Fundy are part of the Southwest rural district, both of which are members of the Southwest New Brunswick Service Commission. Prior to the 2023 governance reform, it comprised one village of Blacks Harbour and two

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 were members of the Southwest New Brunswick Service Commission (SNBSC). The

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of the same name includes all of the parish except the former village of Blacks Harbour.

Origin of name

The parish was named by

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settlers of the area for

William Penn William Penn ( – ) was an English writer, religious thinker, and influential Quakers, Quaker who founded the Province of Pennsylvania during the British colonization of the Americas, British colonial era. An advocate of democracy and religi ...

, early Quaker leader and founder of

Pennsylvania Pennsylvania, officially the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, is a U.S. state, state spanning the Mid-Atlantic (United States), Mid-Atlantic, Northeastern United States, Northeastern, Appalachian, and Great Lakes region, Great Lakes regions o ...

History

Pennfield was erected in 1786 as one of the county's original parishes; it included Lepreau Parish, the southern part of Clarendon Parish, and a small piece of Saint George Parish.

Boundaries

Pennfield Parish is bounded: Remainder of parish on maps 163 and 166 at same site. Remainder of parish on mapbooks 471, 481, 482, 491, 492, 497–499, and 502 at same site. * on the north by a line running true west from the southernmost corner of Queens County; * on the east by a line running

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from the mouth of the Pocologan River; * on the west by the prolongation north and south of the western line of grants straddling Lake Utopia, then south along a line running through the Letang River and Letang Harbour; * on the south by the

Bay of Fundy The Bay of Fundy () is a bay between the Canadian provinces of New Brunswick and Nova Scotia, with a small portion touching the U.S. state of Maine. It is an arm of the Gulf of Maine. Its tidal range is the highest in the world. The bay was ...

. * also including any islands within of the shore and The Wolves, a group of islands more than offshore.

Evolution of boundaries

Pennfield's original northern boundary was a prolongation of the southern line of the Cape Association grant in Saint David Parish, which runs south of Robinson Creek Road in Saint David Ridge. The prolongation passes near the northern end of Loon Lake in Clarendon Parish before striking the Queens County line. A small part of Saint George Parish near the head of the Letang River was also part of Pennfield; all islands in the river and Letang Harbour were part of Saint George. In 1814 the parish was extended northBecause Pennfield's northern line was based on Saint George's, Pennfield probably expanded when Saint George did. This has been the norm in New Brunswick since the first boundary changes in 1787. If Pennfield was an exception, then the boundary was moved north in 1850. to the county line, adding the rest of Clarendon. In 1850 the boundary with Saint George Parish near the head of the Letang River was changed to its modern line. In 1857 the eastern part of Pennfield was erected as LePreau Parish. In 1868 all of the parish north of the most southern point of Queens County was included in the Clarendon District, a polling district that also included the northern part of Lepreau Parish. In 1869 the northern part of Pennfield was included in the newly erected Clarendon Parish. In 1877 the boundary through the Letang River and Letang Harbour was changed, transferring some islands to Pennfield.

Former governance units

Municipality

The village of Blacks Harbour sat at the southwestern corner of the parish's mainland.

Local service districts

Both LSDs assessed for the basic LSD services of

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, police services,

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, emergency measures, and dog control.

Pennfield Parish

The local service district of the parish of Pennfield originally included all of the parish outside Blacks Harbour. The LSD was established in 1970 to assess for fire protection. First aid and ambulance services were added in 1979. In 2022, the LSD additionally assessed for community & recreation services. The taxing authority was 512.00 Pennfield.

Beaver Harbour

Beaver Harbour comprised an area on the western side of Beaver Harbour, including the eastern part of the old town plat and running north to the junction of Mountain Road and Waite's Lane. The community of Beaver Harbour outgrew the boundaries of the LSD by 2013. The LSD was established in 1971 to add street lighting and community services. First aid and ambulance services were added in 1979. Beaver Harbour additionally assessed street lighting and community & recreation services. The taxing authority was 524.00 Beaver Harbour. Beaver Harbour was the only LSD in Charlotte County with street lighting.

Communities

Communities at least partly within the parish. bold indicates an incorporated municipality * Beaver Harbour * Blacks Harbour ** Tunaville * Crow Harbour * Deadmans Harbour * Justasons Corner * Pennfield * Pennfield Corner * Pennfield Ridge * Pennfield Station * Seeleys Cove *

Utopia A utopia ( ) typically describes an imagined community or society that possesses highly desirable or near-perfect qualities for its members. It was coined by Sir Thomas More for his 1516 book ''Utopia (book), Utopia'', which describes a fictiona ...

* Utopia Centre * Wallace Cove * Woodland

Bodies of water

Bodies of waterNot including brooks, ponds or coves. at least partly within the parish. ''italics'' indicate a name no longer in official use * Letang River (''L'Etang River'') * Little New River * Little Pocologan River * New River * Pocologan River * Cripps Stream * Red Rock Stream * Trout Lake Stream * Buckmans Creek * Crow Creek * Wards Creek * Beaver Harbour * Blacks Harbour * Crow Harbour * Deadmans Harbour * Letang Harbour (''L'Etang Harbour'') * Red Head Harbour * Seeleys Basin * Eastern Chops * The Basin * more than fifty other officially named lakes

Islands

Islands at least partly within the parish. ''italics'' indicates a name no longer in official use * Cochranes Island * Moose Island (''Little Moose Island'') * Munson Island * Peat Island * Penn Island * Tub Island * Wolf Islands

Other notable places

Parks, historic sites, and other noteworthy places at least partly within the parish. * Lepreau River Wildlife Management Area * New River Protected Natural Area * Pocologan Protected Natural Area * Utopia Wildlife Refuge

Demographics

Population

Language

Access Routes

Highways and numbered routes that run through the parish, including external routes that start or finish at the parish limits:Atlantic Canada Back Road Atlas Pages 4, 12 *Highways ** *Principal Routes ** *Secondary Routes: ** ** ** ** *External Routes: **None

Notes

References

{{coord, 45.21119, N, 66.656113, W, name=Pennfield Parish, New Brunswick, display=title, region:CA-NB_type:adm3rd_scale:100000 Parishes of Charlotte County, New Brunswick Local service districts of Charlotte County, New Brunswick