Northam, Prince Edward Island

Sir Samuel Holland did the first land survey of St. John’s Island, which he divided into 67 lots, each containing 2000 acres. For his work, he was given Lot 28 (the Tryon Area). These lots were given out by lottery, to friends of the government. The system used was that the first name drawn was given Lot 1, the second name drawn was given Lot 2, and so on. The Earl of Holland was the lucky winner of Lot 13. These people were to be responsible for the settling of these areas and the health and well-being of the settlers. As an extra incentive, a free-lease system was put in place to entice people to settle on P.E.I. After the land-lords began to make some progress with the settling process, human greed set in. Some became more interested in the money they could make than the well-being of the inhabitants. Most of these Absentee Landlords, as they became known, had never seen their properties on St. John’s Island. One of the conditions of Prince Edward Island joining Confederation was the abolishment of the Absentee Landlord System.

According to the Warburton History of P.E.I. there were no roads on St. John’s Island in 1770. All travel was done by water. In order to go from Charlottetown to Princeton (now Malpeque) the early settlers had to go by boat up the Hillsboro River, carry their boats overland through the woods to St. Peters Bay, then continue by boat along the Gulf of St. Lawrence to Richmond Bay (now Malpeque Bay). It might take two weeks.

In 1799, St. John’s Island (Isle de St. Jean’s) was renamed Prince Edward Island, after Prince Edward, father of Queen Victoria.

Because large ships could anchor along Malpeque Bay, settlements sprang up close to the water. By 1821, there were good settlements in Lots 13, 14 and 16. Lot 13 was one of the earliest settlements along the Malpeque Bay. The area of Lot 13 east of what is now the Western Road as well as what is now Arlington was known as Port Hill. The area had eight families in 1798. By 1861 the population was 750.

The early settlers settled close to the water slowly blazing trails back from the water through the woods. Ofien these trails were named for places back home. In Devonshire, England one can find such names as Northam, Ellerslie, Port Hill, Arlington and Bideford. The Northam Road began as a narrow footpath with notches on the trees so the first settlers could find their way out again to the water. When the footpath was widened, horses and carts could travel along the bumpy trail.

With the establishment of the school system, around 1850, it became clear that each school district would have to be individually named. Thus, the Northam road became Northam.

Ever wonder why the present day inhabitants of Northam say “back the road” when travelling toward the main highway and “Out the road” when going toward Port Hill? The only way “out” in those days was to Port Hill. Some of the first settlers came by boat and walked “back” through the woods looking for a place to settle. The founding families put down roots along “the Northam Road”. Some of their descendants can be found still living on the same properties, or close by. The expressions: “back the road” and “out the road” have come down through the years. The school, having been moved to the center of the district, was the dividing line. The “backroaders” and “outroaders” took turns cleaning the school and being on lunch committees. On the playground at recess the “backroaders” would play softball, or other team sports against the “outroaders” with the occassional fight over the outcome of the game. After all these years we still say “back the road” and “out the ma ”. By doing so we are keeping up the