The Tar Barrels of Ottery St Mary

Ottery St Mary in Devon is associated with an unusual Bonfire Night custom: participants carry burning tar barrels through the streets. The event is a local community tradition, distinct from the general British practice of lighting bonfires and fireworks in November.

Explanations of the custom’s earliest origins are not always supported by contemporary documents. Descriptions should therefore distinguish the continuing practice from retrospective stories about why it began.

Place: Ottery St Mary, Devon. Evidence: documented annual custom. Source trail: local Ottery St Mary event history and Devon folklore collections.