[7] Prior to the 2023 governance reform, the parish was divided between five municipalities and eight local service districts: the town of Beresford, New Brunswick; the villages of Belledune, Nigadoo, Petit-Rocher, and Pointe-Verte; and the LSDs of Dunlop, Laplante,[a] Madran, Petit-Rocher-Nord (Devereaux), Petit-Rocher-Sud, Robertville, Tremblay, and the parish of Beresford, which in turn had seven named areas (often incorrectly called LSDs) receiving special services when they were created: Alcida and Dauversière; Nicholas-Denys, Free Grant and Sainte-Rosette; Petit Rocher West;[b] Saint-Laurent Nord; Sainte-Louise; Sainte-Thérèse Sud; and Sormany.

[9] The parish was named for Baron Beresford, Commander in Chief of the Portuguese Army during the Peninsular War.

[10] Six of the parishes erected simultaneously in Northumberland County in 1814[11] were named for prominent British military figures.

[14] In 1881, the county line was moved to its modern position, putting the western part of interior settlements in Beresford.

[16][17][18] bold indicates an incorporated municipality; italics indicate a name no longer in official use Bodies of water[c] at least partly within the parish.