Events / Meetings

Note: All meetings are held at The Institute, Yonder Street, Ottery St Mary, Devon unless otherwise stated.

2017 - 18

September 19th 2017 (Tuesday)
            7.30pm: 'The City of Exeter'
             Illustrated presentation in which Red-Coat Guide, Tony Burges,
              traces the development of the City, through the Roman, Saxon 
              and Medieval periods to the present day

October 17th 2017 (Tuesday)
            7.30pm: 'The Roman Army, Finds, Facts & Fiction'
            John Smith gives a Living History presentation, demonstrating
             Roman Legionary equipment, their clothes and fashions

October 21st 2017 (Saturday)
            'Coleridge Anniversary Lunch'
             The Tumbling Weir Hotel, Ottery St Mary,
             12.30pm for 1.00pm
            Celebrating the birth of Ottery's famous son, poet and philosopher,
              Samuel Taylor Coleridge. Guest speaker: author Todd Gray

November 21st 2017 (Tuesday)
            7.30pm: 'Property Ownership & Landscape Patterns'
             Chris Wakefield

December 2017 (No Meeting)

2018

January 16th 2018 (Tuesday)
            7.30pm: 'The Power of the Image'
             Photographer Tom Greeves talks about Devon Landscape & Photography 1860s-1870s

February 20th 2018 (Tuesday)
            7.30pm: 'The Vikings of the West Country'
             Derek Gore, formerly at Department of Archaeology at Exeter University,
             describes his research into the influence of the Viking Age on the south west.

March 20th 2018 (Tuesday)
            7.30pm: 'The Last Man to Die in a Duel in Devon'
              Reuben Ayres describes the fascinating life of Dr Peter Hennis, a popular
              young doctor during the Cholera epidemic of 1832, and his untimely death
              in duel near Haldon Racecourse.

April 17th 2018 (Tuesday)
            7.30pm: 'Devon's Hospitals of the Great War'
             Dr Julia Neville, University of Exeter, talks about her research into the Classrooms, Cottages
             and Country Houses that were hastily converted into hospitals during the first World War.

  May 15th 2018 (Tuesday)  

Projects

World War One Project

HERITAGE LOTTERY GRANT FOR OTTERY

The Ottery St Mary Heritage Society is proud to announce that it is the recipient of a Grant of £5,200 from the Heritage Lottery Fund under their “The First World War – Then and Now” scheme.

Our project entitled “Ottery St Mary Remembers The Great War Through It’s People” aims to open a portal into the past by highlighting the lives of those who made the supreme sacrifice for their country in the First World War. This will enable us to compare and contrast their lives and experiences with those of their modern contemporaries, and also to assess the effects of the War on their families and the wider community.

We celebrated the launch of our project in July 2014 with the staginging of our hugely successful six-day exhibition at The Old Boys School, Ottery. "Otteregians and the Great war" was a resounding success, enthusiastically supported with favourable comments from all who attended.

The first phase of our plan has been completed. We have identified and recorded all of the First World War Memorials in our district and have researched each of the individuals listed thereon. Because the memorials do not list everyone from Ottery who made the supreme sacrifice, we have also searched other sources, both locally and nationally, to ensure that we capture as many of our heroes as possible. The project covers the town of Ottery St Mary and the surrounding villages of Alfington, Escot, Tipton St John, West Hill and Wiggaton, and also covers individuals closely associated with the area but no longer resident therein. The overall objective has been to re-establish our War Memorials as a central focus of the community, as they would have been when they were first established, monuments to local people, loved ones and friends.

Our intention was to involve as many local people as possible in the project which has included discussions with The Kings School and the Ottery Scouts regarding joint initiatives. We are grateful to everyone who took part in our research, in particular the valuable help from people living in the villages. We have received a great deal of information about those who died, including family details, photographs and personal reminiscences to support our military research. 

Now that information has been collected and processed, we are making the results of our project available throughout the district with a series of local “road shows” at the various locations.

We have also published a Memorial Book telling the personal stories of our heroes who gave their lives for their country.
This brilliant new publication, "Ottery's Sacrifice" is now on sale; copies may be purchased from The Curious Otter Bookshop, Mill Street, Ottery St Mary, EX11 1AD. Orders and Enquiries to 01404 814469.

The information will also be available on our web site and in paper form in the Heritage Society Library.

If you wish to become involved or can help in any way, please speak to one of the Heritage Society Trustees or contact me, Jim Woolley, on 01404 812176.

Jim Woolley