Le Petit-Paspébiac/Little Paspibiac [English]

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Little Paspibiac is shown on old maps dating from when the Loyalists lived in the area (1784)¹ rather than in New Carlisle. The first written evidence of the toponym dates back to the 17th century, in Nicolas Denys’ Description géographique et historique des costes de l’Amérique septentrionale (Geographical and Historical Description of Northern America’s Coasts), published in 1672.² Located on the western edge of Paspébiac, then an important fishing sector, Le Petit gradually forged its own identity as an administrative, legal and judicial hub, even developing as a county seat. The construction of a prison and a courthouse (late 17th century and early 19th century, respectively) contributed to its notoriety.³

Even now in the present day, New Carlisle’s identity seems to be steeped in this ambiguity, between freedom and interdependence.

DÉCOUVRIR > tous les lieux-dits de cette ville

AUDIO

Interview with Sandi Beebe, April 8, 2025.

“The municipality’s name comes from Carlisle in England.”

Interview with Robert Munroe, April 11, 2025.

“The Robins did not want to negotiate with the Loyalists.”

[FRENCH] Interview with Marc Babin, April 11, 2025.

“The Loyalists wanted to separate because they were independent from the Robin family.”

Clarification regarding the audio content : “Little Paspibiac appears to be what are known as the ‘Park Lots’, everything around the barachois, where the Loyalists settled, and this definitely corresponds to New Carlisle (not Paspébiac-Ouest).” Source : Camillia Buenestado-Pilon.

NOTES

¹ “La naissance de New Carlisle / The Birth of New Carlisle”, The Historical Marker Database, accessed on January 26, 2026, hmdb.org/m.asp?m=234368.

² In 1685, Emmanuel Jumeau drafted a map on which is shown a Pepchidiachiche point, meaning which means Little Paspibiac. Was it New Carlisle or really Paspébiac? History does not reveal the answer.

³ The Historical Marker Database, op. cit. and Synthèse historique de la MRC de Bonaventure.

IMAGE

1. William Vondenvelden, Plan of New Carlisle ou Little Paspibiac in the District of Gaspé, 1787. Archives nationales à Québec, Fonds Ministère des Terres et Forêts, Publications et archives gouvernementales, 03Q E21S 555SS1SSS23PP 3C.