Ottery St Mary

Coordinates: 50°45′07″N 3°16′44″W / 50.752°N 3.279°W / 50.752; -3.279

Ottery St Mary, known as "Ottery" (/ˈɒtəri/ or local /ˈɒtri/), is a town and civil parish in the East Devon district of Devon, England, on the River Otter, about 10 miles (16 km) east of Exeter on the B3174. At the 2001 census, the parish, which includes the villages of West Hill, Metcombe, Fairmile, Alfington, Tipton St John and Wiggaton, had a population of 7,692. The population of the parish alone was at the 2011 census was 4,898. There are two electoral wards in Ottery (Rural & Town). The total population of both wards at the above census was 9,022. The place-name 'Ottery St Mary' is first attested in the Domesday Book of 1086, where it appears as 'Otri' and 'Otrei'. 'Oteri Sancte Marie' is first mentioned in 1242. The town takes its name from the River Otter on which it stands, the river taking its name from the animal. The 'St Mary' element refers to the fact that the town belonged to the church of St Mary in Rouen in 1086.