From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Ottery St Mary
Ottery St Mary shown within Devon
Population	7,692 (2001)
OS grid reference	SY098955
District	East Devon
Shire county	Devon
Region	South West
Constituent country	England
Sovereign state	United Kingdom
Postcode district	EX11
Dialling code	01404
Police	Devon and Cornwall
Fire	Devon and Somerset
Ambulance	South Western
UK Parliament	East Devon
European Parliament	South West England
List of places: UK • England • Devon

Coordinates: 50°45′08″N 3°16′43″W / 50.75208, -3.27859

Ottery St Mary is a town in the East Devon district of Devon, England, on the River Otter, about ten miles east of Exeter on the B3174. It is part of a large civil parish of the same name, which also covers the villages of West Hill, Metcombe, Fairmile, Alfington, Tipton St John and Wiggaton.

The town was the birthplace of Samuel Taylor Coleridge and where the noted diplomat Sir Ernest Satow spent his retirement (1906-29) at the house called 'Beaumont' which still stands. Satow was buried in the churchyard; there is a commemorative plaque to him is in the church.

Ottery's notable buildings include the Tumbling Weir and Ottery St Mary church. The town is the site of The King's School, now a comprehensive school, founded in 1545 by Henry VIII, a former grammar school.

Tar Barrels, 5 November 2005

Major events are held in Ottery near the 5th November - Guy Fawkes Night, when flaming tar barrels[1] are carried through the town[2]. A 17th century tradition, barrels soaked in tar are set alight and carried aloft through parts of the town.

The festivities begin in the early evening with the children's, youths' and women's events, culminating in the men's event later in the night. A total of seventeen barrels are lit outside each of seventeen pubs in Ottery. The barrels increase in size up to 30kg and are carried through a packed town centre. It is an exhilarating and risky spectacle to watch, indeed, in recent years it has nearly been called off, due to increasing public liability insurance cover. [3] Only those born in Ottery, or who have lived in the town for most of their lives, may carry a barrel[4]. Generations of the same family have been known to compete across the years. It is thought that the event is to ward off evil spirits and is similar to other British fire festivals.

Pixie Day is another old tradition that takes place annually on a Saturday in June. The day commemorates the age old legend of Ottery St Mary's infamous 'Pixies' being banished from the town (where they caused havoc) to the local caves known as 'Pixie's Parlour'.

One mile to the north-west of the town is the Elizabethan Manor House of Cadhay.

• There is a hymn tune called Ottery St Mary.
• J K Rowling named the fictional home village of the Weasley family in the Harry Potter series 'Ottery St Catchpole' after Ottery St Mary.

The church viewed from North East.

The clock.

Ottery St Mary Church was built in 1280 then rebuilt in 1337 by Bishop John Grandisson, imitating Exeter Cathedral (although unconfirmed data have emerged which may disprove this). The great Ottery Clock in the south transept is one of a group of famous 14th to 16th century astronomical clocks to be found in the West of England (See also Salisbury, Wells, Exeter, and Wimborne Minster),and is one of only four pre-Copernican clocks in the country.

Whitham J. (1984) Ottery St Mary Camelot Press ISBN 0 85033 526 4

• Ottery St Mary Tourist Information Centre
• Ottery St Mary Herald
• Genuki
• EastDevon.net - Ottery St Mary
• Ottery St Mary at the Open Directory Project
• Tar Barrels
• Ottery St Mary Parish Church
• Ottery St Mary Football Club
• Ottery St Mary Cricket Club
• Elizabethan Manor House
• Wanabehuman on Ottery St. Mary Tar Barrels Festival

• Video of the tar barrels festival