Ottery St Mary, Devon, England Genealogy
Guide to Ottery St Mary, Devon ancestry, family history, and genealogy: parish registers, transcripts, census records, birth records, marriage records, and death records.
| Ottery St Mary | |
| Type | Ancient Parish |
| Civil Jurisdictions | |
| County | Devon |
| Hundred | St Mary Ottery |
| Poor Law Union | Honiton |
| Registration District | Honiton |
| Records Begin | |
| Parish registers | 1601 |
| Bishop's Transcripts | 1608 |
| Ecclesiastical Jurisdictions | |
| Rural Deanery | Aylesbeare |
| Diocese | Exeter |
| Province | Canterbury |
| Probate Court | Court of the Bishop (Consistory) of the Archdeaconry of Exeter |
| Archive | |
| Devon Record Office | |
Parish History[edit | edit source]
OTTERY ST. MARY, a market-town and parish, constituting the hundred of Ottery St. Mary, in the union of Honiton, Woodbury and S. divisions of Devon, 11 miles (E. by N.) from Exeter, and 161 (W. S. W.) from London. This place derives its name from its situation on the river Otter, and from the dedication of its church to the Blessed Virgin. There are places of worship for Independents and Wesleyans.[1]
Ottery St Mary began as a Saxon settlement. The origins of the name 'Ottery' are debated: some say that it is taken from the River Otter, others that it is from the manor house occupied by the Canons of Rouen (1061-1337), named 'Otrei', and appearing in the Domesday Book of 1086. 'Oteri Sancte Marie' is first mentioned in 1242, with the 'St Mary' added to honour the church of St Mary. The church houses the Astronomical Clock, one of the oldest mechanical clocks in the country.
Ottery St Mary featured in the English Civil War, especially in 1645 when it became a garrison town, and was visited by Oliver Cromwell. Romantic poet Samuel Taylor Coleridge was born in Ottery St Mary, and author William Makepeace Thackeray refers to the town in some of his works.
Resources[edit | edit source]
Find Neighboring Parishes[edit | edit source]
Use England Jurisdictions 1851 Map
- Type the name of the parish in the search bar
- Click on the location pin on the map
- Choose Options from the pop up box
- Click "List Contiguous Parishes" to find the neighboring parishes
Civil Registration[edit | edit source]
Birth, marriages and deaths were kept by the government, from July 1837 to the present day.
- See England Civil Registration for online resources and information.
Church Records[edit | edit source]
The Church of England (Anglican) became the official state religion in 1534, with the reigning monarch as its Supreme Governor.
Non-Conformist refers to all other religious denominations that are not the official state religion.
Church of England[edit | edit source]
Due to the increasing access of online records:
- Individual parish coverage for databases in this table are inconsistent and should be verified
- Dates in the following table are approximate
Hover over the collection's title for more information
| Ottery St Mary Online Parish Records | ||||||
| FamilySearch Collections-Devon | ||||||
| FamilySearch Parish Registers-Devon | 1500s-1900s |
1500s-1900s |
1500s-1900s |
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| Bishop's Transcripts - FamilySearch Catalog | ||||||
| FreeREG | ||||||
| Findmypast Parish Registers-Devon ($) | ||||||
| Findmypast Banns-Devon ($) | ||||||
| Ancestry-Church of England BMD-Devon ($) | ||||||
| Ancestry-England & Wales, Birth, Christening, Marriage and Death Indexes ($) | ||||||
| Databases with Known Incomplete Parish Coverage | ||||||
| Boyd's Marriage Indexes-FMP (Free) | ||||||
| National Burial Index-FMP (Free) | ||||||
Other Websites
These databases have incomplete parish coverage.
- The Genealogist Parish Registers - Devon ($)
- UK Websites for Parish Records - Links to online genealogical records
- Online Genealogical Index - Links to online genealogical records
Nonconformist Records[edit | edit source]
"Nonconformist" is a term referring to religious denominations other than an established or state church. In England, the state church is the Church of England.
- 1717 England & Wales, Roman Catholics, 1717 at Findmypast - index & images ($); coverage may vary
- England Roman Catholic Parish Marriages at Findmypast — index & images ($); coverage may vary
- Independent/Congregational
- Presbyterian
- Wesleyan Methodist
Census Records[edit | edit source]
Census records from 1841 to 1921 are available online. See England Census for more resources.
Maps and Gazetteers[edit | edit source]
Maps are a visual look at the locations in England. Gazetteers contain brief summaries about a place.
Online Parish Clerk[edit | edit source]
Devon Online Parish Clerks is a resource of volunteers willing to provide free look-ups and research within the County of Devon. The Online Parish Clerk for Ottery St Mary maintains a website at [1] with transcripts and links to nonconformist records, trade directories, and census records.
Probate Records[edit | edit source]
Records of wills, administrations, inventories, indexes, etc. were filed by the court with jurisdiction over this parish. Go to Devon Probate Records to find the name of the court having primary jurisdiction. Scroll down in the article to the section Court Jurisdictions by Parish.
Websites[edit | edit source]
Ottery St Mary on GENUKI
References[edit | edit source]
- ↑ Lewis, Samuel A., A Topographical Dictionary of England, (1848). Date accessed: 26 July 2013.