Rothesay, New Brunswick

Rothesay (/ˈrɒ(θ)seɪ/) is a town located in Kings County, New Brunswick, Canada. It is adjacent to the City of Saint John along the Kennebecasis River.

Rothesay
Town
Rothesay Town Hall
Flag
Coat of arms
Motto(s): 
"Quinque Iuncta In Uno"  (Latin)
"Five United In One
Rothesay
Location of Rothesay
Rothesay
Rothesay (Canada)
Coordinates: 45°22′59″N 65°59′49″W
CountryCanada
ProvinceNew Brunswick
CountyKings County
FoundedAugust 4, 1860
AmalgamationJanuary 1, 1998
Electoral Districts     
Federal
Saint John—Rothesay
ProvincialRothesay
Government
 • TypeTown Council
 • MayorDr. Nancy Grant
 • Deputy MayorDr. Matthew Alexander
 • CouncillorsMiriam Wells, Bill McGuire, Peter Lewis, Tiffany Mackay French, Grant Brenan, Don Shea
 • MPsWayne Long
 • MLAsTed Flemming
Area
 • Total34.72 km2 (13.41 sq mi)
Elevation
Sea level to 75 m (0 to 246 ft)
Population
 (2016)[1]
 • Total11,659
 • Density335.8/km2 (870/sq mi)
Time zoneUTC−04:00 (AST)
 • Summer (DST)UTC−03:00 (ADT)
Canadian postal code
E2E, E2H
Area code(s)506
Telephone Exchange847, 848, 849, 216
NTS Map021H05
GNBC CodeDACOY
Websitewww.rothesay.ca

Geography

Located along the lower Kennebecasis River valley, Rothesay borders the city of Saint John to the southwest, and the neighbouring town of Quispamsis to the northeast. It is served by a secondary mainline of the Canadian National Railway, though there is no longer any passenger service on the line. Rothesay and Quispamsis are both considered part of 'KV' (kennebecasis valley) but Rothesay is considered to be the nicer of the two towns. It has a lower crime rate, higher average income and higher percentage of post secondary educated citizens.

History
See also: History of New Brunswick and List of historic places in Kings County, New Brunswick

The town developed first as a shipbuilding centre and later as a summer home community for Saint John's wealthy elite with the arrival of the European and North American Railway in 1853. There is a commonly known story that the new town was named in honour of the visiting Prince of Wales, later King Edward VII, in 1860 because the area was said to have reminded him of Rothesay, on the Isle of Bute, in Scotland.

However, an entry made in the diary of William Franklin Bunting, of Saint John, during the same visit refers to the Rothesay train station. It is unlikely that the name would have taken hold less than a day after the prince's passage through the settlement and so it likely predates the visit or was specifically bestowed on the town in the prince's honour as Duke of Rothesay. In 1870, a Saint John-owned ship named Rothesay made a famous voyage when a 20-year-old woman named Bessie Hall took command of the fever-stricken ship and sailed it from Florida to Liverpool, England.

Present day

Rothesay contains many historical landmarks, such as the Rothesay Common, the Rothesay Yacht Club, the former train station (one of the last remaining examples of early railway architecture in Canada), many homes that pre-date Confederation, public parks and modern amenities. The community provides numerous places of worship and recreation areas, along with the convenience of local retail and large-scale commercial developments in the nearby city of Saint John. According to a 2015 Canadian Business article, the top five richest neighbourhoods in the Province of New Brunswick all lie within the Town of Rothesay.[2] Police services are provided by Kennebecasis Regional Police Force.

Rothesay lies in the Anglophone South School District and schools include Rothesay Park School, Rothesay High School and Rothesay Netherwood School and was formerly the headquarters of New Brunswick School District 06, Both New Brunswick Route 100 and New Brunswick Route 111 run through the town and connect with New Brunswick Route 1. The town is served by Saint John Transit.

Amalgamation

In 1996, the proposition that Grand Bay and the other Kennebecasis Valley communities amalgamate with Saint John was publicly opposed. Concern that a new city would compete with Saint John for government funding and business came after the province began discussing an amalgamation of the Kennebecasis Valley communities in 1997. On January 1, 1998, the former incorporated villages of East Riverside-Kinghurst, Fairvale, and Renforth; the town of Rothesay; and part of the community of Wells in the local service district of the Rothesay Parish were amalgamated to form the town of Rothesay as part of a province-wide rationalization of municipal-level governments. The town motto, Quinque luncta In Uno (Five United In One), represents the joining together of the five founding communities.

Occasional discussion about the possibility of further amalgamating Rothesay with Quispamsis has not proceeded beyond the discussion phase,[3] though the two municipalities do collaborate extensively to share services and facilities.[4]

Notable people
  • Almon Abbott, (July 11, 1881 – April 4, 1945) was bishop of the Episcopal Diocese of Lexington, educated in Rothesay.
  • Admiral Sir Charles Carter Drury, Second Sea Lord and Chief of Naval Personnel was born at Rothesay.
  • Jack Fairweather, (1878 – 1948) was a lawyer and political figure, born in Rothesay.
  • Gordon Fairweather, (March 27, 1923 – December 24, 2008) was a lawyer and Canadian politician, son of Jack Fairweather.
  • Susan B. Ganong, (March 18, 1873 - April 29, 1961) was a widely respected Canadian educator and proprietor of the Netherwood School for 41 years from 1903 - 1944, aunt of R. Whidden Ganong.
  • R. Whidden Ganong, (October 2, 1906 – March 18, 2000) was a Canadian businessman, went to school in Rothesay.
  • Rear Admiral Daniel Lionel Hanington was sunk by a U-boat, participated in the sinking of another U-boat, eventually becoming Deputy Chief of Staff (Support) for NATO's naval command.
  • John Peters Humphrey resided in Rothesay while attending boarding school, although his permanent residence was in the municipality of Hampton, less than 20 minutes outside of Rothesay.
  • Billionaire industrialist James K. Irving currently resides in Rothesay, as well as some members of his family, including his niece Sarah Irving.
  • Sarah Irving, Executive Vice President and Chief Brand Officer of Irving Oil, educated at, and on the Board of Governors for the Rothesay Netherwood School.
  • Peter LeBlanc, chartered accountant and former political figure, served as a member of the town council for Rothesay.
  • Canadian aviation pioneer Wallace Rupert Turnbull invented the variable-pitch propeller in Rothesay.

See also

References
  1. "Census Profile, 2016 Census Rothesay, New Brunswick". Statistics Canada. Retrieved 14 August 2019.
  2. "The Top 5 Richest Neighborhoods In New Brunswick". Canadian Business. Retrieved 25 May 2018.
  3. "2 southern N.B. towns consider amalgamation". CBC.ca. 3 January 2008. Retrieved 9 November 2010.
  4. Mcguire, Peter (18 September 2010). "Time for the valley to take the plunge?". Telegraph-Journal. telegraphjournal.com. p. B1. Retrieved 9 November 2010.
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