Seaview Cemetery

Seaview Cemetery is an Anglican Burial Ground that was established in Pisarinco (Lorneville) when the Church of England Chapel of St. James was erected there in 1847. St. James was one of four Cof E Chapels erected about the same time in the early Parish of Musquash, and was served by the Rector based at St. Ann’s Church in Musquash. The other two Chapels were St. Thomas at Dipper Harbour, and St. John of the Wilderness on Manawagonish Road.

The Chapel of St. James was built on “the highway from Irishtown to Pisarinco”(north side) on a 50’x35’ piece of land that was donated in 1846 to the “Lord Bishop of Fredericton” by Irish natives and Pisarinco residents, John and Mary Short. The Chapel was built parallel to the road with the entrance facing west, toward Musquash Harbour, and the Cemetery laid out north of the building on the Shorts’ property. Seaview Cemetery is located about 1 kilometer west of Lorneville Cemetery.

The Church lot was bounded on the east by the 100 acre farm owned by Samuel Ferguson Sr. and his wife Nancy (Knox). The Ferguson’s were natives of Kilkeel Parish Co. Down Ireland, and had purchased their farm lot from John and Mary Short in 1839. The Shorts sold their remaining land around the Church lot and Cemetery, to brothers James and Hugh (Jr.) McCavour in 1850. The burial grounds extended slightly beyond the original Church lot onto the lands acquired by Hugh McCavour Jr., but Seaview has remained a comparatively small cemetery, containing about 20 family lots with a total of 156 standard grave plots.

Most of the members of St. James congregation lived in the neighbouring community of Irishtown, or Pisarinco West as it was sometimes known. Even later this settlement became known as Seaview. The Deans, Splanes, Tiners, Bryans, and Maguires – all immigrant families from the south of Ireland – were some of the families living at Irishtown who formed the majority of St. James’ congregation. The Chapel of St. James was active until the early 1890’s, when, concurrent with declining attendance, it was separated from Musquash Parish and served by the Rector of the new Church of Good Shepherd in the Parish of Lancaster. Regular services were discontinued shortly after, and the building itself was moved off the site in 1912.

While the Church ceased to function, the associated cemetery continued to be used and cared for by resident families. Removal of the building freed more space for burials, and family members have continued to make use of existing family lots for burials and cremations.

In 1971 all of the lands at Seaview and the former community of Irishtown were expropriated to facilitate the construction of an electric Generating Station at Coleson Cove, and anticipated spinoff industrial development. All of the residents of the area had to move elsewhere, and like so many other small rural community cemeteries at the time, Seaview Cemetery fell into a state of disrepair and neglect, as less people with an interest in its’ condition remained in the community.

This state of affairs continued for several years but was recognized by active community volunteers concerned about the cemeteries at Lorneville and Seaview. A Cemetery Committee was formed to care for the two community cemeteries and in 1982 became incorporated as Lorneville and Seaview Cemeteries Inc.

Since that time a major rehabilitation and improvement project was launched in 2000 by Lorneville & Seaview Cemeteries Inc., and was completed in 2014. The grounds of Seaview Cemetery have been completely transformed into an attractive place. The site still officially belongs to the Anglican Church of Canada, but The Bishop of the Anglican Diocese of Fredericton has authorized Lorneville & Seaview Cemeteries to manage and maintain Seaview Cemetery on his behalf. Lorneville and Seaview Cemeteries Inc. has also acquired lands around the Cemetery site to act as a buffer zone.

There are few empty plots remaining at Seaview Cemetery, and it is relatively inactive.