Dorchester Parish

Content sourced from Wikipedia, licensed under CC BY-SA 3.0.

Dorchester Parish is a geographic area in Westmorland County, New Brunswick, Canada. It covers about 90 square kilometers and had a population of 438 in 2021, with a density of around 4.9 people per square kilometer. There were 207 dwellings. The population figure excludes parts that are now separate, such as the city portion of Dieppe, the villages of Dorchester and Memramcook, and the Fort Folly 1 Indian Reserve.

Where it is and how big
- Location: Westmorland County
- Coordinates: about 46°11′N, 64°36′W
- Size: 90.13 km2

Governance
- Today the parish is divided among several municipalities and districts: the city of Dieppe, the town of Tantramar, the Strait Shores incorporated rural community, the Fort Folly 1 Indian Reserve, and the Southeast rural district. Most of these are part of the Southeast Regional Service Commission.
- Before the 2023 reform, Dorchester was governed by the villages of Dorchester and Memramcook, the Fort Folly 1 Indian Reserve, and the local service district of the parish (which included the Calhoun Road area).

History and naming
- Dorchester Parish was created in 1787 from unassigned land between Moncton and Sackville Parishes. It was named after the Baron of Dorchester, who was Governor General of British North America and the elder brother of Thomas Carleton, the Governor of New Brunswick.
- Over the years its boundaries changed: in 1827 the northeastern part joined Shediac Parish; in 1835 everything north of a line from Fox Creek’s mouth was moved to Moncton Parish; in 1894 the northern boundary was adjusted to a magnetic bearing of 6°15' south of due east, and these changes were applied retroactively.

Notes
- The parish population does not include the village of Dorchester, Memramcook, Fort Folly 1, or the portion within Dieppe.