Ottery St Mary, known as "Ottery" ( /ˈɒtərɪ/ or local /ˈɒtrɪ/), is a town in the East Devon district of Devon, England, on the River Otter, about ten miles east of Exeter on the B3174. It is part of a large civil parish of the same name, which also covers the villages of West Hill, Metcombe, Fairmile, Alfington, Tipton St John and Wiggaton. It has a population of 7,692.[1] 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.[2] The town was the birthplace of the Romantic poet Samuel Taylor Coleridge, where his father, the Reverend John Coleridge, was a well-respected vicar. The noted diplomat Sir Ernest Satow spent his retirement (1906–29) here at a house called Beaumont, which still stands. Sir Ernest was buried in the churchyard; there is a commemorative plaque to him in the church. Ottery's notable buildings include the Tumbling Weir and St Mary's church. The town is the site of The King's School,[3] now a comprehensive school, a former grammar school founded in 1545 by Henry VIII, and Ottery St Mary Primary School.

Hello I asked Wikipedia : http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ottery_St_Mary Regards from France

I'll have to agree with the others... although my first thought was that it was a place where otters are kept. :) The capital letter, however, indicates it's a place name or a person's name.

Thanks everyone! I also found an interesting link: Dictionary of British Place Names: Devon. Otri (1086) (DB), Otery Sancte Marie (1242). Named from the River Otter, ‘stream frequented by otters’, OE oter + ēa. Affix from the dedication of the church. Read more: http://www.answers.com/topic/ottery-st-mary#ixzz1UEUvLfU1 So I think that "Ottery St Catchpole" in "Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets" is indeed a parody on the Ottery St Mary.

Otterey is always Capital letters. I only know it from a city in South Africa.