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Whereabouts within England is the Weasleys' home situated? Has there been any statement, either within the books or films or in something J K Rowling has said, to indicate the area of the country, or which county the Burrow is?

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  • harrypotter.wikia.com/wiki/The_Burrow
    – Valorum
    Commented Jun 7, 2018 at 9:45
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    I've downvoted for total lack of research effort. Even the most cursory of searches would have revealed that it's in Devon.
    – Valorum
    Commented Jun 7, 2018 at 9:46
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    I think a DV is harsh, we don't trust the harry potter wiki and it doesn't cite its sources for devon. I assumed the wiki giving the location as devon was pure guesswork based on the river otter and the similar ottery st mary. it isn't mentioned in the books or films where ottery st catchpole is so i can't blame the poor guy/gal for asking
    – Au101
    Commented Jun 7, 2018 at 9:48
  • Au101 - The wiki was simply the first example of many that came up within seconds of starting my search
    – Valorum
    Commented Jun 7, 2018 at 11:19
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    @Valorum Let's not forget that the Harry Potter wiki has resulted in made up information becoming commonly perceived as "fact" that were then reiterated on other sites. Commented Jun 7, 2018 at 13:42

2 Answers 2

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On the south coast of England.

The Burrow is located on the outskirts of Ottery St Catchpole on the south coast of England. As TheLethalCarrot's answer says, Pottermore locates this within Devon. There is more ambiguity in the descriptions within the seven books, however.

We know that the Burrow is just outside the village of Ottery St Catchpole.

"We're a little way outside the village," said George. "Ottery St Catchpole..."
(Chamber of Secrets, Chapter 3, The Burrow).

This in turn is located on the south coast of England.

Many small villages and hamlets attracted several magical families, who banded together for mutual support and protection. The villages of Tinworth in Cornwall, Upper Flagley in Yorkshire and Ottery St Catchpole on the south coast of England were notable homes to knots of wizarding families who lived alongside tolerant and sometimes Confunded Muggles.
(Deathly Hallows, Chapter 16, Godric's Hollow).

The Burrow is outside the village and is not directly visible from it.

They had an excellent view of the village of Ottery St Catchpole from the breezy hillside to which they Disapparated next morning. From their high vantage point, the village looked like a collection of toy houses in the great, slanting shafts of sunlight stretching to earth in the breaks between the clouds. They stood for a minute or two looking towards the Burrow, their hands shadowing their eyes, but all they could make out were the high hedges and trees of the orchard, which afforded the crooked little house protection from Muggle eyes.
(Deathly Hallows, Chapter 20, Xenophilius Lovegood).

There's no definitive pinpointing of the Burrow's location beyond "the south coast of England" in the books, however.

It has been credibly suggested that Ottery St Catchpole was based on the real village of Ottery St Mary in south Devonshire. Ottery St Mary is about five miles from the sea, which may qualify it for being on the "south coast of England", depending on how strict your criteria for the southern coastline is. This location of the Burrow tallies with Pottermore's assertion that it is in Devon. Such a conclusion is necessarily speculative, however.

All book canon tells us for sure is that it's on the south coast of England.

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    It is worth mentioning that J.K.Rowling knew and loved the area well. She went to Exeter University, only 10 miles or so away from Ottery St. Mary, which adds further weight to it being in Devon. That said, it is not proof.
    – josh
    Commented Jun 7, 2018 at 16:27
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Ottery St Catchpole, Devon

The Pottermore page on The Burrow clearly mentions this in the fact file.

Pottermore, The Burrow fact file

The Burrow fact file

Where in the World

Ottery St Catchpole, Devon

Magical Properties

Fireplace on the Floo Network, kitchen clock which reports the whereabouts of each family member

Peculiar Things That Live Here

Particularly vicious garden gnomes and the ghoul in the attic

Map of England with Devon Highlighted

Devon's location

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    I've landed on this page from HNQ. I've never heard of Pottermore before. Would you please consider adding a line about why this source should be trusted? Commented Jun 8, 2018 at 9:12
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    @EricDuminil Pottermore about page: Pottermore, the digital publishing, e-commerce, entertainment and news company from J.K. Rowling, is the global digital publisher of Harry Potter and J.K. Rowling’s Wizarding World. As the digital heart of J.K. Rowling’s Wizarding World, pottermore.com is dedicated to unlocking the power of imagination. It offers news, features, and articles as well as new and previously unreleased writing by J.K. Rowling.
    – TheLethalCarrot
    Commented Jun 8, 2018 at 9:21
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    I found it too, it might be worth it to include a short sentence directly in the answer, though. Commented Jun 8, 2018 at 9:23
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    @EricDuminil Pottermore is a generally trusted site. If we had to fill every answer here for why sites should be trusted you wouldn't be able to see the answer for all the noise.
    – TheLethalCarrot
    Commented Jun 8, 2018 at 9:25
  • Not every answer : just the most upvoted ones which appear in HNQ. It's also because it's mentioned below OP's question that the harry potter wiki shouldn't be trusted. As you wish, anyway. It's your answer. Commented Jun 8, 2018 at 9:27

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