Ottery St Mary

Ottery St Mary, a town of Devonshire, on the river Otter, 11 miles (15 by rail) E. of Exeter. Twice the scene of a great conflagration, in 1767 and 1866, it retains its magnificent collegiate church, a reduced copy of the cathedral of Exeter (q.v.), with the only other transeptal towers in England. Begun about 1260 by Bishop Bronescombe, it is Early English, Decorated, and Perpendicular in style, and was restored by Butterfield in 1849-50. The old King's Grammar-school was demolished in 1884. Alexander Barclay was a priest here; Coleridge (q.v.) was a native; and 'Clavering' in Pendennis is Ottery St Mary, the Devonshire residence of Thackeray's stepfather. Silk shoe-laces, handkerchiefs, and Honiton lace are manufactured. Pop. (1851) 2534; (1891) 3855.