Otterton Devon Family History Guide
Otterton is an Ancient Parish in the county of Devon.
Other places in the parish include: Pitson, Pinn, Passaford, and Northmost Town.
Parish church:
Parish registers begin:
- Parish registers: 1559
- Bishop’s Transcripts: 1609
Nonconformists include: Christians, Plymouth Brethren, Presbyterian, and Wesleyan Methodist.Â
Table of Contents
Adjacent Parishes
Parish History
The Imperial Gazetteer of England & Wales 1870
OTTERTON, a village and a parish in St. Thomas district, Devon.
The village stands on the descent of a fine elevation, adjacent to the river Otter, 2 miles N of the river’s mouth, near a railway in course of formation in 1867 past Ottery, St. Mary to Sidmouth and Salterton, and 3½ miles S W by W of Sidmouth.
It is a place of great antiquity; consists chiefly of one long street of thatched houses; carries on the manufacture of pillow-lace; and has a post-office under Budleigh-Salterton, and fairs on Easter Wednesday and the Wednesday after Michaelmas.
The parish contains also Northmost-Town, Passaford, Pinn, and Pitson; and extends to the sea. Acres, 3,479; of which 45 are water. Real property, £5,123. Pop. in 1851, 1,231; in 1861, 1,140. Houses, 232.
The manor and most of the land belong to the trustees of the late Lord Rolle. A Black priory was founded here, by King John; was attached, along with the manor, to the abbey of Mont St. Michel, on the coast of Normandy; passed, at the suppression of alien monasteries, to Sion abbey; and has left remains connected with the parish church. An ancient nunnery stood at Otterton House. The land comprises a grand sweep of swells and valley; and terminates, at the coast, in lofty cliffs.
The living is a vicarage in the diocese of Exeter. Value, £336. Patrons, the Heirs of Lord Rolle. The church is a venerable edifice; was partly restored by the late Lord Rolle; consists of nave, N aisle, chancel, and chantry-chapel, with fine embattled tower; and stands on a rising-ground at the S W end of the village, commanding extensive and beautiful views.
There are a national school and charities £15.
Source: The Imperial Gazetteer of England & Wales [Wilson, John M]. A. Fullarton & Co. N. d. c. [1870-72].
Parish Records
FamilySearch
Maps
Vision of Britain historical maps
Administration
- County: Devon
- Civil Registration District: St Thomas
- Probate Court: Court of the Bishop (Consistory) of the Archdeaconry of Exeter
- Diocese: Exeter
- Rural Deanery: Aylesbeare
- Poor Law Union: St Thomas
- Hundred: East Budleigh
- Province: Canterbury