Photo courtesy of Phyllis Baxter
Interesting Facts
Old Ottery Song
Another tradition in Ottery St Mary still continued today is the daily playing of the Old Ottery song. At eight-O-Clock, midday and four-O-Clock each day the Church of Ottery St Mary plays the Old Ottery song after the peal of the church bells.[clarification needed] Tradition has it that the funerals of Old Ottregians always take place at 12.00 noon, with the funeral service commencing immediately following the playing of the Old Ottery song: The words are as follows ('kine' are cattle):
Sweet-breathing kine, / The old grey Church, / The curfew tolling slow, / The glory of the Western Sky, / The warm red earth below. // O! Ottery dear! O! Ottery fair! My heart goes out to thee, Thou art my home, wher'er I roam, The West! The West for me!
Taken from Wikipidia
Another tradition in Ottery St Mary still continued today is the daily playing of the Old Ottery song. At eight-O-Clock, midday and four-O-Clock each day the Church of Ottery St Mary plays the Old Ottery song after the peal of the church bells.[clarification needed] Tradition has it that the funerals of Old Ottregians always take place at 12.00 noon, with the funeral service commencing immediately following the playing of the Old Ottery song: The words are as follows ('kine' are cattle):
Sweet-breathing kine, / The old grey Church, / The curfew tolling slow, / The glory of the Western Sky, / The warm red earth below. // O! Ottery dear! O! Ottery fair! My heart goes out to thee, Thou art my home, wher'er I roam, The West! The West for me!
Taken from Wikipidia
John Coke's Ghost
Within St Mary's Church, a colourful effigy of a soldier named John Coke can be found in a niche. He is said to have been murdered by a younger brother in 1632, and therefore tradition avers that his spirit steps down from the alcove and wanders about the church interior.
Taken from Wikipidia
Within St Mary's Church, a colourful effigy of a soldier named John Coke can be found in a niche. He is said to have been murdered by a younger brother in 1632, and therefore tradition avers that his spirit steps down from the alcove and wanders about the church interior.
Taken from Wikipidia
Old Ottregians Society
An inhabitant of Ottery St Mary is known as an "Ottregian". One Sunday afternoon in 1898 six young men from Ottery St Mary, who were then living in London, met on the steps of St Paul's Cathedral, and resolved to form a Society to promote good fellowship among Ottery people wherever they may be. And so was founded the Old Ottregians Society, which took as its motto 'Floreat Ottregia ('May Ottery Flourish')" The Old Ottregians society still exists today or so I believe.
Taken from Wikipidia
An inhabitant of Ottery St Mary is known as an "Ottregian". One Sunday afternoon in 1898 six young men from Ottery St Mary, who were then living in London, met on the steps of St Paul's Cathedral, and resolved to form a Society to promote good fellowship among Ottery people wherever they may be. And so was founded the Old Ottregians Society, which took as its motto 'Floreat Ottregia ('May Ottery Flourish')" The Old Ottregians society still exists today or so I believe.
Taken from Wikipidia
The Old Mill
Photo from unknown source images
From medieval times the production of wool cloth was a major Devon industry. However, during the early part of the 18th century, this industry began to decline in the face of competition from cotton and cheaper Yorkshire yarns. Attempting to revive the local economy, Sir George Yonge and Sir John Duntze, Members of Parliament and joint Lords of the Manor, launched a scheme in 1788 to build a new manufactory at Ottery, for the carding and spinning of wool, using the recently-invented water frame machinery. At the same time, the original corn mill, which had stood here for 700 years, was demolished, and a new, much bigger one built.
The existing leat which supplied the old corn mill did not provide a sufficient head of water for the new mill, so the level of the water in the mill basiin had to be raised by 2.4 metres. This was achieved by reducing the fall along the leat. Then, as now, the water level was maintained by the circular 'tumbling weir', which discharged the overflow into the river through a short tunnel. Water was conveyed from the mill basin to the 5.5 metre water wheel inside the factory (reported to be capable of producing 30 horsepower) by an overhead
aqueduct - the factory launder. A second 3.6 metre overshot wheel powered the corn mill.
In 1824 the enterprise was converted to the manufacture of silk, and up to 400 female workers were employed. In 1897 the factory was sold to Keetch & Co, brush manufacturers, the first of several subsequent owners.
The corn mill continued to operate until 1937; the factory launder was demolished in 1945.
Today the mill site and the adjoining factory is unoccupied, awaiting re-development. Near the site is the Tumbling Weir Hotel, a converted 17th century thatched house, now a popular hotel and restaurant.'
The newer part of the complex was once Ottermill Switchgear, which later became Eaton Cutler & Hammer Ltd, which closed down in 2003
Taken from Wikipidia
The existing leat which supplied the old corn mill did not provide a sufficient head of water for the new mill, so the level of the water in the mill basiin had to be raised by 2.4 metres. This was achieved by reducing the fall along the leat. Then, as now, the water level was maintained by the circular 'tumbling weir', which discharged the overflow into the river through a short tunnel. Water was conveyed from the mill basin to the 5.5 metre water wheel inside the factory (reported to be capable of producing 30 horsepower) by an overhead
aqueduct - the factory launder. A second 3.6 metre overshot wheel powered the corn mill.
In 1824 the enterprise was converted to the manufacture of silk, and up to 400 female workers were employed. In 1897 the factory was sold to Keetch & Co, brush manufacturers, the first of several subsequent owners.
The corn mill continued to operate until 1937; the factory launder was demolished in 1945.
Today the mill site and the adjoining factory is unoccupied, awaiting re-development. Near the site is the Tumbling Weir Hotel, a converted 17th century thatched house, now a popular hotel and restaurant.'
The newer part of the complex was once Ottermill Switchgear, which later became Eaton Cutler & Hammer Ltd, which closed down in 2003
Taken from Wikipidia
Cadhay House
Photo taken from web site
Cadhay House stands around a central courtyard within extensive grounds. It was built in 1550. By John Haydon (d.1587), a bencher of Lincoln's Inn,[3] the second son of Richard Haydon (d.1533) of Bowood, Ebford (in the parish of Woodbury[4]), Lympstone and Woodbury in Devon,[5] Mayor of Barnstaple and deputy steward of the Devon lands of the Duchy of Cornwall,[6] whose armorials (Argent, three bars gemeles azure on a chief gules a fess dansettée or) survive on a capital in St Swithin's Chirch in Woodbury, Devon, where survives the canopy for his intended monument.
Taken from Wikipidia
Taken from Wikipidia
Chanters House
Photo from unknown source images
Chanters House dates from the days of the College but little trace of antiquity remains, mainly enclosed by large brick outer additions by Butterfield including a 3rd storey extending also above the 2 storey 5 window portion facing south with central Doric porch with tall columns and radial bar fanlight to entrance and glazing bars to windows. The centre is the former Heath's Court with dining room used as Convention room by Cromwell in 1645. Fairfax stayed at the house from October to December in that year. Some of the walls of the old Precentor's house and painted beams remain. It was the home of the Coleridge family
Taken from British Listed Buildings
Taken from British Listed Buildings
The Great Fire of Ottery
Photo courtesy of Marlene Budd
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Photo courtesy of Marlene Budd
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"On 25 May 1866 a great fire occurred in Ottery St Mary. The fire started about noon and the raged through the homes and shops of about a quarter of the town, reducing everything to ashes. The fire started on Jesu Street where the charity schools formerly stood. At first some people believed that the fire had been started by children playing with matches, but subsequent investigation has now proved this to be incorrect. It appears that the fire was started by a woman burning rubbish and papers in her cottage fireplace on Thursday. The fire smouldered and eventually burned through the wall to the school next door. It was eventually discovered at the top of the staircase in the schoolroom, near the cottage chimney around noon on Friday. It then spread very rapidly. Within hours one hundred houses had been destroyed, and 500 people rendered homeless – 10% of the population. A great part of the town extending westwards from the school to the silk factory in Mill Street was reduced to a heap of smoldering ruins."
Taken from Wikipidia
Taken from Wikipidia
J K Rowling
Photo from unknown source images
J K Rowling went to Exeter University during the 80's and it is said that Ottery St Catchpole where the Weasley's lived is based on Ottery St Mary and Catchpole comes from a professor of theology that was at Exeter University at the time J K Rowling attended there. Just a little fun fact about our lovely town
Pixie Day and Pixies Parlour
Photo from unknown source images
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Photo from unknown source images
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Main article: Pixie Day Pixie Day is an old tradition which takes place annually in June. The day commemorates a legend of pixies being banished from the town to local caves known as the 'Pixie's Parlour'.
The Pixie Day legend originates from the early days of Christianity, when a local bishop decided to build a church in Otteri (Ottery St. Mary), and commissioned a set of bells to come from Wales, and to be escorted by monks on their journey.
On hearing of this, the pixies were worried, as they knew that once the bells were installed it would be the death knell of their rule over the land. So they cast a spell over the monks to redirect them from the road to Otteri to the road leading them to the cliff's edge at Sidmouth. Just as the monks were about to fall over the cliff, one of the monks stubbed his toe on a rock and said "God bless my soul" and the spell was broken.
The bells were then brought to Otteri and installed. However, the pixies' spell was not completely broken; each year on a day in June the 'pixies' come out and capture the town's bell ringers and imprison them in Pixies' Parlour to be rescued by the Vicar of Ottery St. Mary. This legend is re-enacted each year by the Cub and Brownie groups of Ottery St. Mary, with a specially constructed Pixie's Parlour in the Town Square (the original Pixie's Parlour can be found along the banks of the River Otter).
The Pixie Day legend originates from the early days of Christianity, when a local bishop decided to build a church in Otteri (Ottery St. Mary), and commissioned a set of bells to come from Wales, and to be escorted by monks on their journey.
On hearing of this, the pixies were worried, as they knew that once the bells were installed it would be the death knell of their rule over the land. So they cast a spell over the monks to redirect them from the road to Otteri to the road leading them to the cliff's edge at Sidmouth. Just as the monks were about to fall over the cliff, one of the monks stubbed his toe on a rock and said "God bless my soul" and the spell was broken.
The bells were then brought to Otteri and installed. However, the pixies' spell was not completely broken; each year on a day in June the 'pixies' come out and capture the town's bell ringers and imprison them in Pixies' Parlour to be rescued by the Vicar of Ottery St. Mary. This legend is re-enacted each year by the Cub and Brownie groups of Ottery St. Mary, with a specially constructed Pixie's Parlour in the Town Square (the original Pixie's Parlour can be found along the banks of the River Otter).
Website created on 17th August 2015
by Marlene Budd |