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Stand on the old railway bridge at Otterton and look across towards the village. Presiding over the scene before you is a squat, Victorian church; on lower ground you can see a mill; at a still lower level you can see a grey stone bridge over the river Otter.  It is just possible to imagine what the valley looked like 1,000 years ago. In the 10th century A. D. there was almost certainly a Saxon church or priory standing well above the river; there were two, possibly three mills serving the needs of the local population; and there was probably a ford or ferry across a wider, deeper river Otter. By present day standards, Otterton is a small community but it is a surprising fact that this Devon village has played an important part in local and national history. 

Celtic and Saxon Origins 

The name Otterton probably comes from two Celtic words meaning 'water' and 'village'. The Saxons settled in the area in about 670 A.D. and the shape and the pattern of the original settlement have changed remarkably little since then.

The Saxons brought a new system of farming to Devon, the 'open field system'.  A village like Otterton would have been surrounded by a number of large, unfenced fields divided into strips.  Each strip was about an acre in area.  An 'open field village' consisted of a main street along which were farmhouses and cottages to which farmers and labourers returned after a day's farming. Many of the farms tended to be end-on to the main street with their buildings strung out behind them and a croft or paddock of grassland stretching out to the rear.  The crofts often had a rear access to a grassy track or 'green lane' which farm workers would use to get to and from their strips.

Otterton, unlike many other Devon villages is unusual in that several large farmhouses remain along its main street today. However most of the farmhouses have been built parallel to the main street. A system of farming based on this method of land use may have survived in Otterton until Tudor times when many enclosures took place in Devon to make sheep farming easier.

Today there also remains a village green. In Saxon times this would have been used for grazing, meetings and a 'social area' for village folk. Again, in many other villages in the area, this important feature has disappeared. 

Anglo Saxon period 

By the middle of the 11th century, Otterton was owned by Countess Gytha, the wife of Earl Godwin, one of the most powerful lords in Anglo-Saxon England. The manor included Sidmouth, Harpford, Pinn and Yettington.  Gytha's son was Harold Godwin who was crowned King of England on January 7th 1066. Following the Saxon defeat later that year, Gytha fled to the Saxon stronghold of Exeter to await the arrival of the Norman invaders.  The new King, William I, demanded an oath of loyalty from the city but the citizens of Exeter made it clear that William could expect neither an oath of loyalty nor would he be allowed to enter the city.  An infuriated William marched to Devon with a large army.  After 18 days of siege, a truce was arranged and negotiations followed. William agreed not to harm the city or its occupants in any way, nor to increase taxes. As part of the deal, Gytha was allowed to escape from Exeter with a large sum of money. She was never to return. 

Norman period and Monastic ownership

The land owned by Saxons outside the city boundaries passed into the hands of Norman soldiers, bishops and landlords. William gave the manor of Otterton to the Abbot of Mont St. Michel in Normandy to acknowledge the spiritual and practical aid they had given him in the form of prayers and ships. The Exeter Domesday Book of 1084 contains the following information about the manor: “There were 103 working men made up of 50 villeins (serfs), 20 borders (villeins of the lowest order) and 33 saltmakers. The manor's livestock included 18 head of cattle, 60 pigs, 300 sheep and 22 goats. There were three mills, 150 acres of wood and 45 acres of meadow. All this was worth £18.” 

To look after this profitable concern, the Abbot of Mont St. Michel employed a bailiff to supervise the day-to-day running of the manor. As Otterton was a busy seaport at this time, the Abbot probably received handsome sums from profits gleaned from the small-scale wool, salt and shipbuilding industries found in or near the village. Yettington was still part of the manor. The villagers there had to take their horses to Otterton Court each year and pay a fee of 2d. for the privilege of owning them. They also had to contribute to church funds at Otterton, shift stones from Exeter to Otterton and maintain the mill-leat as part of their feudal services. 

There had probably been a church at Otterton before the Norman Conquest but the first official record of a Priory in the Norman era is to be found on a deed of 1161. The Priory was situated on the north side of the church. Later on, it was converted into a mansion by the Duke family. In 1161, a Prior and four monks lived there. The Prior had certain privileges which cannot have endeared him to the local population. Ten marks had to be raised by the tenants to buy a palfrey (saddle-horse) to be presented to each new Prior. Every plough had to be used to plough one acre of land for the Prior each year and he had the pick of the best fish, especially the eels. He had the right to claim every porpoise caught by fisher-men off Ottermouth but he had to pay 12d. for the porpoise and give a loaf of bread to each sailor and two loaves of bread to the ship's master. 

The Saxon church was rebuilt by the monks of Otterton for their own use. It had a detached tower at the south-west corner of the nave. A second nave was later added for the use of village people. There were then two churches with a single tower between them. After the Dissolution (1540), the monks' church was pulled down and the parish church rebuilt. This may help to explain why today Otterton Church is one of the few in the country to have its tower set at the eastern end of its nave. 

Important features of mediaeval Otterton were its mills. At the time of the Norman Conquest, Otterton was the only village in Devon to have three mills. By 1324, one of these had closed down. The monks at the Priory were obliged to provide 16 shillings' worth of bread each week for any poor person who came to ask for it. The bread was made from flour ground at the manor mill and cooked in the Priory ovens. By 1414 there were three more buildings sited along the mill-leat. Traces of these buildings have been found upstream from the present-day mill. Two of these structures were probably fulling mills and the third a forge. Fulling, a process whereby wool is beaten and trodden, was often carried out some distance away from the important wool towns like Ottery St. Mary. 

Perhaps things at the Priory were not always as they should have been. Simon Guarin, who became the new Prior in June 1364, had by 14th August 1374 been excommunicated: "A mandate was issued on August 14th 1374, directed to the Dean of Christianity of Exeter for the denouncing of Brother Simon Guarin, pretended Prior of Otterton, upon the crime of fornication committed with Isabella Bourne, to have been suspected and also defamed and to be excommunicated because of his contumacy, in the Church of Blessed Mary Major, Exeter and elsewhere, where it shall seem expedient with the solemnity that is befitting in this matter." 

The wars between England and France in the late 14th century left the monks of Otterton wondering where their allegiances lay. The monks were repeatedly banished from the area and in 1389 the Priory was handed over to Sir Peter Courtenay for the duration of his life. King Henry V finally took over the manors owned by Mont St. Michel in 1414. Otterton was given to Syon Abbey which was situated on the banks of the river Thames.  It was held by the nuns of the Abbey until the dissolution of the monasteries in 1540, although no nuns actually occupied the Priory buildings.

Post Dissolution and the Duke family 

At the time of the dissolution, the manor was sold to Richard Duke, a clerk of the Augmentation Court. This was the court which planned and organised the dissolution of the monasteries and monastic buildings for King Henry VIII and so Duke was almost certainly setting himself up with what he considered to be a "good buy". 

The letters patent granted to Duke in 1540 reveal some fascinating information about the village and its surrounding area at this time: "Know ye that for the sum of £1712 14s.2d. paid into the hands of the Treasurer of Augmentations by our beloved Richard Duke we do give and grant to the same Richard Duke all those manors of Otterton and Budleigh, otherwise called East Budleigh, which late belonged to the Monastery of Syon now dissolved. Also our churches and rectories of Harpford, Otterton and Fenn Ottery. And also our 40 messuages (dwelling houses), 100 cottages, three watermills and two fulling mills; six barns, 20 tofts (holdings attached to houses), 5000 acres of land, 400 acres of meadow, 2000 acres of pasture, 10 acres of wood, 100 acres of marsh, 5000 acres of furze and heath and forty four pounds and eight pence of rent, Likewise the whole watercourse of the Otter and the whole fishing of the said water. And the wreck of the sea, chattels of felons and fugitives and persons about to fly and outlaws."

Duke built "a fair house upon an ascent over the River Otter" on the site of the Priory which had been pulled down or allowed to fall down a few years earlier. It seems likely that the 'fair house' was built with stone salvaged from the Priory ruins, a symbolic and practical gesture towards the Church of Rome! Duke had also acquired the adjoining manor of Poer Hayes, later to be called Hayes Barton. It was to Richard Duke or his nephew that Sir Walter Raleigh wrote to in 1584 stating that he had "a natural disposition to the place, being born there." Raleigh put in an offer for the property but despite the advantages of having such a distinguished neighbour, Duke refused to sell. 

At right angles to the present church is an ancient stone house. This is almost certainly the dwelling built by Richard Duke although it has been substantially modified over the past few centuries. The arms of the Duke family sculptured over the porch can still be seen. The house has now been converted into four council cottages. At the back of the building the walls have been rendered and new windows put in. However, a few stone-sculptured windows remain intact. 

Two hundred years later Polwhele described the house like this: "The ancient house on Otterton was formerly a nunnery. It has nothing in its structure worthy of notice except that it was built in the form of a quadrangle. And the courtyard is still known as 'Nun's Court'." This last comment refers to the time when the nuns of Syon Abbey had owned the land on which the house stood. 

Another branch of the Duke family planned to build a great mansion in Otterton Park. A fine avenue of trees, still visible today, was planted curving up towards the crest of the hill. Brick gateposts were erected at the entrance to the Park with stone acorns on top of them. The foundations of the building were laid but the owner or builder went bankrupt and work on the project ceased. It is said that in the 1930s, some of the foundations of "the house that never was" were used to build a house near Ladram Bay, 'Monks Wall'. 

About 1540, shortly after the Duke takeover, John Leland, the famous antiquarian visited Otterton. He liked what he saw and commented: "Otterton is a pretty fishing town standing on the east side of the haven about a mile from Ottermouth. And on the west side of the haven is Budleigh but it is somewhat more from the shore than Otterton. Some call this haven, Budleigh Haven. The mouth of the Otter lies to the south-west." Leland remarked that "less than a hundred years ago, ships used this haven but now it is completely blocked up." (Paraphrase) 

The loss of access to the sea was a serious blow to the wool, dyeing and lace industries of Otterton. Without a navigable river on its doorstep, the livelihood of the villagers was threatened. Richard Duke made a brave but unsuccessful attempt to clear the sand and shingle which had been building up at the mouth of the Otter. Mud banks had also been formed by silt washed down the river by winter floods. 

At this time the river was not confined to the narrow channel we see today. There were no dykes or embankments and as the water flowed downstream it met a strong tidal flow just below the village. Thus the water covered a wide area at a considerable depth from Otterton to Otter-mouth two miles to the south. In places the river may have been 300 yards wide. The ships which used the river were probably small vessels with a shallow draught. 

A good view of what the river might have looked like in the 16th century can still be obtained when the valley below Otterton is flooded after heavy rainfall or high tides. The lower reaches of the Otter are transformed into a magnificent inland lake. This, presumably, is how the river looked at every high tide in Leland's day. 

Civil War Period 

The Civil War (1642-1649) brought troubled times to Otterton. The vicar, Richard Venn, was reported to General Fairfax as a "disaffected preacher". Fairfax sent some soldiers to arrest Venn and by all accounts the vicar received some rough treatment: "Lord Fairfax, who had his headquarters at Tiverton, sent a troop of horse to bring Mr. Venn before him. They were so severe in executing their orders that they took him as they found him, not permitting him to put on warmer clothes and carried him away with them on a wet, cold day, two days before Christmas. When he was come, they made a fire to warm him but he had ridden so long and was so thinly clad that he fainted away." 

Venn was taken before Fairfax who accused him of having read mass in his house at Otterton. He was also alleged to have preached sermons denouncing the government. Venn's Christmas Day sermon was carefully analysed by Fairfax but nothing of any harm could be found in it. However the army kept a careful eye on him: "Mr. Venn was set at liberty and came home, but soon after a committee sent a troop of horse to turn out Mr. Venn and introduce Mr. Conant. They entered his house and turned his wife and children out of doors. Mr. Venn withdrew himself and then Mr. Conant became minister of Otterton." 

Restoration  

After the restoration of the monarchy, in 1660, the unfortunate Mr. Venn was re-instated as vicar. 

Despite the economic decline of the village in the 17th century, the manorial mill expanded its trade and prospered under the Dukes. In 1744 there were two schools in the village, a grammar school kept by the Vicar and one for reading, writing and arithmetic. 

Estate ownership passes to the Rolle Family 

The whole estate was purchased by the Rolle family for £72,000 in 1785. The tenant of the mill at that time was Michael Dare and his rent was £65 a year. It was at this time that the mill-house was built opposite the mill. It incorporated a row of cottages and shops and perhaps a few other mediaeval buildings. 

When the property was put up for sale by the Dukes, it was advertised as an attractive acquisition; "To be sold, the manors of Otterton and Little Otterton with the healthy common called Peak Hill on which very fine and valuable turves are cut every year and the farm called Otterton Barton consisting of an elegant mansion house situated at the end of the village. Otterton is about three miles from the arm of the sea called Otterton Haven. It can offer offices, coach-house, hot-house, pigeon-house and out-houses. It has several walled gardens planted with the most curious fruit trees in their prime and several orchards planted with the best cider trees, a park with about 150 deer in it, carp-ponds and a large salt-water pond for preserving plaice, soles, oysters and other sea fish suitable for the accommodation of a gentleman of a large fortune. There are several hundred acres of arable meadow and pasture ground. There are most excellent rabbits on this barton, bounded on the west by Otterton Haven and on the south by the main sea, and affords a most extensive view from Portland to the Berry Head. There are a lime-kiln and water, grist mills and tidal land which could be recovered at comparatively small expense and become a rich spot of land." 

Perhaps this goes to show that the jargon employed by estate agents has not changed much over the past 200 years. Nevertheless, the manor was a "snip" at only £72,000! 

The 19th century saw some further changes in the appearance of the village. In 1870, the old church was pulled down and rebuilt at the expense of Lady Rolle. Pevsner describes the new edifice as "a large insensitive church with blue marble columns". The bones of the Duke family were dumped in a trench dug in the churchyard. 

White's survey of Devon in 1850 describes the settlement as: "A long village on the eastern bank of the River Otter, with 1,245 souls and 3,500 acres of land. Many of the female inhabitants are employed in making Honiton lace and two fairs are held here on the Wednesday of Easter Week and the Wednesday after October 10." The names of two bakers, two publicans, three blacksmiths, five boot- and shoe-makers, two butchers, 27 farmers and five wheelwrights are mentioned. Other village notables included William Grosse, schoolmaster, Thomas Tidbury, saddler and John Uglow, corn miller. 

Uglow was an unpopular man. He bought several bull mastiffs in order to deter village lads from raiding his orchards. He also had enough money and property to make his less affluent neighbours envious of him. Every fortnight flour was sent to Lympstone, Budleigh Salterton and Exmouth by road. Plymouth received flour from Otterton via Topsham. This prosperous and extensive business came to an end in 1864 after Uglow's rents were increased. From this point onwards, the mill went into decline until 1977 when it was reopened as a working museum. 

By 1871 the population of the village was also on the decline (1,100). In 1901 there were only 620 people living in Otterton compared to 1,245 in 1841. This trend has continued throughout the 20th century. However, as late as 1914; the village was still fairly self-sufficient. In that year there were still butchers, bakers, shopkeepers, shoemakers and wheelwrights living and working in Otterton. 

20th Century 

The year 1935 was memorable for Otterton and other villages in the area. The whole of the village turned out on the green to celebrate the Silver Jubilee of King George V.  Some of those present then could remember similar festivities in 1887 to celebrate the Jubilee of Queen Victoria. 

The artist and writer Walter Scutt has left us with a vivid picture of Otterton in 1935: “From Budleigh Salterton I had followed the river Otter winding along its beautiful valley. Then at the three-arched bridge over the river, an unexpected and unforgettable picture came into sight - gorgeous autumn tints on the chestnut trees, red Tudor brickwork of the old walled garden nearby, and the brown roofs and colour-washed walls of the thatched cottages; with the appropriate accompaniment of sounds - the lapping of the river against the bridge, the rumble of the mill, and the noonday chimes tinkling from the church tower, It might have been one hundred years ago but for the obtrusive reminders of today - the red flash of the Devon General Omnibus dashing past, the fussy puffing of the little train leaving East Budleigh station a few hundred yards away, and the droning of an aeroplane high above.” 

The chestnut trees mentioned by Scutt had stood on the green for 200 years. Unfortunately they had to be cut down in 1955 as they were riddled with canker. New trees were planted which are now approaching maturity. 

The 1930s saw great changes in agricultural techniques all over Britain. There were a greater number of machines on farms than ever before. Tractors, combine-harvesters and milking machines were introduced on many farms in Devon and the Second World War accelerated the pace of mechanisation. 

In 1945, the Clinton Devon Estate still owned most of the land and houses in and around the village and as late as 1960, 80 per cent of the parish was owned by the Estate. 

An unfortunate episode in the history of the village occurred in 1968. Heavy rainfall resulted in massive flooding. In July, the river Otter burst its banks. The rising waters reached the village green. This was not all. The stream, about five feet wide, which runs down the main street to meet the river expanded to such proportions that the whole of the main street became one vast torrent. It took many hours of work after the floods had subsided to clear away the rocks, mud and other debris that were brought down into the street from a higher level. 

And what of Otterton today (1984)? The population of the village is about 580. The appearance of the village has changed very little over the past 100 years and the area is remarkably unspoilt. One can still wander along the banks of the river Otter from Budleigh Salterton to Otterton like Walter Scutt, although the "fussy puffing of the little train" has gone forever and the station has been converted into a private dwelling. One can spend a very pleasant afternoon at the mill studying the workings of water-wheels, viewing the different crafts on display and sampling the cream teas. For the student of architecture there is the church, the ancient house and the attractive row of cottages opposite the green. Barely a mile beyond Otterton lies Ladram Bay, the famous beauty spot which straddles the coastal footpath. For the walker there is the shady lane which runs through Otterton Park to the gateposts of "the house that never was" and the avenue of trees up the side of the hill. Without a doubt, this ancient centre of rural Devon remains one of the county's most delightful, secluded and enchanting spots. 

Author: Simon Mason. Extracted from Sketches on local History – The Lower Otter Valley © 1984 Otter Valley Association. See publications page of web site for full list of OVA publications available for purchase.

References 

Census (1871) to (1981) England and Wales: Devon (H.M.S.O.)

Country Life Magazine (June 1980) The House that Duke Built.

Delderfield, E.R. (1949) The Raleigh Country. (Raleigh Press)

Greenhow, Desna (1981) Devon Mill. (Charles Skilton)

Grimaldi, E.C. (1928) Some Notes on the History of Otterton. (A. Wheaton & Co.)

Hoskins, W.G. (1954) Devon. (Collins)

Pevsner, NR (1952) Buildings of England: South Devon. (Penguin)

Polwhele, R. (1797) History of Devonshire. Reprinted in 1977 from 1797 ed. by Cadell (Kohler & Coombes)

Scutt, W. (1935) Story of Otterton. (W. Scutt)

White, W. (1850) History, Gazetteer and Directory of Devonshire. (Simkin, Marshall & Co.)

Diverse documents from Exeter Central Library (Westcountry Studies) and the Devon Record Office.

Collected material in manuscript, generously provided by Mr. Michael Harrison of Otterton is acknowledged with thanks.

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