The Shire

Shire landscape

**The Shire** was one of the realms in Middle-earth. Since the mid-Third Age, it was mostly a homeland to Hobbits and therefore, to prominent figures in the War of the Ring such as Bilbo and Frodo Baggins, Sam Gamgee, Merry Brandybuck, Pippin Took and several others.

## History

Hobbits or Halflings originally dwelled in the Gladden Fields, alongside the Northsmen from which they were descended. The threat of Angmar caused the majority of them (apart from some Stoor Riverfolk) to migrate South and West. Some settled temporarily in Dunland, while others dwelled in Eriador before they reached Breeland.

The Hobbits got official permission from King Argeleb II at Norbury (Fornost) to settle the lands beyond the Baranduin, which were once the royal hunting grounds. This was finally done in Third Age 1601 (Year 1 in Shire Reckoning) by Hobbits from Bree, led by the brothers Marcho and Blanco. However there were three conditions: the hobbits awknowledge Argeleb's lordship, they maintain the roads in the Shire (namely, the Great East Road which crossed it) and they should aid his messengers. They considered themselves under the king's rule. However, this did not last long as Arthedain had fallen and the hobbits became the lords of their own realm.

Local Thains became the rulers, starting with the Oldbucks and later the Tooks. At some point, the Dúnedain Rangers, a remnant of the people of Arnor, started to secretly protect the Shire's borders. Dwarves traveling to and from the Blue Mountains across the Great East Road (which passed through the Shire) were allowed to pass through, as were Elves.

Its small size, relative lack of importance, and brave and resilient Hobbit population made it too modest an objective for conquest. More important was that the Shire was guarded and protected by the Dúnedain Rangers of the North (and Gandalf), who watched the borders and kept out intruders. The only strangers to enter the Shire were the Dwarves travelling on the East Road that ran through the Shire to and from their mines in the Blue Mountains, and the occasional Elves on their way to the Emyn Beraid or the Grey Havens.

In TA 2340 the Oldbucks of the Marish crossed the Brandywine because of overpopulation and founded Buckland.

However Shire faced its adversities since it was inside the range of the Great Plague of T.A. 1636, and Goblins from Mount Gram invaded the Shire until they were driven out after the Battle of Greenfields (TA 2747). The Shire also suffered because of the Long Winter (TA 2758) soon followed by the Days of Dearth (TA 2760) and the Fell Winter (TA 2911) when White Wolves entered the Shire.

Dwarves came to the Shire one day looking for the Hobbit, Bilbo Baggins. Bilbo was gone for a year and returned with the One Ring. There-on-out, the Shire's peace ended when they were visited by Ring-wraiths of the Shire.

Because of the King of Gondor's return and friendship with hobbits, Frodo, Sam , Merry and Pippin, he declared no full-sized Men could enter the Shire without permission and it as well became one of the United Kingdom's realms.

## Government

At first, the Hobbits were ruled by the King of Arnor. However, after its fall, they became an independant and somewhat democratic government. The two authority figures were the mayor of Michel Delving in the Westfarthing, which was The Shire's biggest settlement, and the Thain, which commanded the Hobbits in times of war. They had the Watch and Shirriffs.

The Shire was divided into four farthings: East, West, South and North. Gorhendad Oldbuck would later settle a strip of land west of the Brandywine, bordering in the Old Forest, which became Buckland.

### Known Thains

* Bucca of the Marish (379-?)
* Thains of the Oldbuck line (descendants of Bucca)
* Gorhendad Oldbuck
* Isumbras I Took (740-?)
* Isengrim II (1083[49]-1122)
* Isumbras III (1122–1159)
* Ferumbras II (1159–1201)
* Fortinbras I (1201–1248)
* Gerontius, the Old Took (1248–1320)
* Isengrim III (1320–1330)
* Isumbras IV (1330–1339)
* Fortinbras II (1339–1380)
* Ferumbras III (1380–1415)
* Paladin II (1415–1434)
* Peregrin (1434–1484, abdicated)
* Faramir (1484-?)

## Geography

Originally, the Shire was heavily forested, but Numenorean need of wood for their ships thinned the forests. Since then, it was a land of green pastures and rolling hills. By the time of the kingdom of Arnor was established, it became a hunting ground for the King, which resides not far away, in Fornost. The Hobbits planted fields and built small houses or dug Smials under the hills. Suspicious of the outside world of "Big-Folk" and evil creatures, especially after the fall of Arnor, they found the land sheltered from the east and south by the river Brandywine, and to the north by moors and to the west by highlands.

The Hobbits divided the land into four farthings, three of which intersected around the middle of the Shire, at the Three-Farthing Stone near the Great East Road. They later settled a small enclave of land which was east of the Brandywine, but shored off of the rest of Eriador by the Old Forest, and this became Buckland. A region west of the Shire, called Westmarch, containing the White Towers of Lindon, was later given to the Hobbit as another district.

The Shire was unofficially divided into further districts. Pieces of land like Green Hill Country crossed as many as three of the farthings. Other districts were family-owned lands like Tuckborrough. In many cases a Hobbit's last name indicates where their family came from: Samwise Gamgee's last name derives from *Gamwich*, where the family originated.

### Westfarthing

Ever suspicious of the outside world, most Hobbits prefer to live in the western parts of the Shire, further from the border. As a result, most of the large settlements were to be found in the Westfarthing, including Hobbiton, the de-facto capital Michel Delving and the ancestral home of the Took family in Tuckborrough.

* **Hobbiton:** One of the early major settlements, Hobbiton was built around "the Hill" which overlooked the surrounding. Upon this hill was built Bag-End, and the dirt removed in its excavation became Bagshot Row.
* **Bywater:** Across from Hobbiton was Bywater, named for its proximity to a lake. It housed a marketplace and the Green Dragon Inn.
* **Overhill:** a small village over the Hill of Hobbiton.
* **Michel Delving:** On the White Downs near the western border of the Shire, Michel Delving was the largest settlement in the Shire and its de-facto capital. Its mayor was a figure of some authority in the Shire.
* **Tuckborrough:** The ancestral home of the Took family.
* **Waymoot**
* **Needlehole**
* **Tookbank**
* **Greenholm**
* **Nobottle**

### Southfarthing

* **Longbottom:** known for its pipeweed industry, namely the brand Longbottom Leaf.
* **Pincup**
* **Old Winyards**
* **Woodhall**

### Northfarthing

* **Frogmorton**
* **Whitfurrows**
* **Woody End**
* **Stock**
* **Rushy**
* **Deephollow**
* **Willowbottom**
* **Bamfurlong**
* **Woodhall**
* **Budgeford**
* **Brockenborrings**
* **Dwaling**
* **Quarry**
* **Scary**

### Eastfarthing

* **Hardbottle**
* **Long Cleeve**
* **Oatbarton**

### Buckland

* **Buckelberry**
* **Crickhollow**
* **Haysend**
* **Newbury**
* **Standelf**

### Westmarch

The Wesmarch was a portion of Lindon that, by the time of the Shire, fell into disuse, leaving behind only three White Towers. It was attached to the Shire by the decree of King Elessar. The main settlement in this country was Undertowers.

## Notable inhabitants

* Bilbo Baggins (formerly)
* Frodo Baggins (formerly)
* Sam Gamgee
* Merry Brandybuck
* Pippin Took
* Bandobras Took
* Old Took
* Elanor Gamgee
* Rose Gamgee
* Frodo Gamgee
* Paladin Took
* Shirriffs
* Lobelia Sackville-Baggins
* Lotho Sackville Baggins
* Otho Sackville-Baggins