The Shire

The Shire

The Shire is a region in Eriador inhabited by Hobbits. It was founded in T.A. 1601 (1405 years ago) when Hobbits making their way westward were granted permission to settle in the area by King Argeleb II of Arthedain.

Summary

Main article: History of the Shire

The Shire was once a fertile and well-tilled part of Arnor, with many royal farms, cornlands, vineyards, and woods. It had long been deserted during the waning days of the Kingdom when it was known as the splinter-realm of Arthedain; it had been the hunting grounds of the King of Arnor. The Hobbits from Bree got official permission from King Argeleb II of Arthedain to settle the lands. This was finally done in T.A. 1601 (Year 1 in Shire Reckoning) by Hobbits from Bree, led by the brothers Marcho and Blanco. They were joined by other hobbits who lived in Dunland and parts of depopulated Cardolan and Rhudaur.

From the west to the east, the Shire measures 40 leagues (120 miles) from the Far Downs to the Brandywine Bridge. From the north to the south, it measures 50 leagues (150 miles) from the northern moors to the marshes in the south. It is divided into four Farthings (Northfarthing, Southfarthing, Eastfarthing, and Westfarthing), and consists of approximately 30 villages, as well as numerous hamlets and farmsteads. Some of the more prominent settlements include:

• Michel Delving - the chief town and de facto capital of the Shire. The mayor, postal service and Watch are headquartered there.
• Tuckborough - the ancestral seat of the Took clan, the hereditary Thains of the Shire.

Across the Brandywine lay the narrow land of Buckland. This is not considered part of the Shire.

Climate and ecology

The climate of the Shire is temperate, with regular rainfall. Temperatures throughout the year average a daily high of 13°C and a low of 6°C.

Unlike most of Eriador, much of the original forest in the Shire remains extant, as it was preserved as hunting grounds by the Kings of Arnor. Its natural vegetation zones would be as follows:

• F2 - East Irish-British oak forests (Quercus robur, Quercus petraea)
• F8 - Atlantic-subatlantic birch-pedunculate oak forests (Quercus robur, Betula pendula, Populus tremula)
• F104 - South British beech forests (Fagus sylvatica), alternating with pedunculate oak-ash forests (Fraxinus excelsior, Quercus robur)
• F31 - British pedunculate oak-ash forests (Fraxinus excelsior, Quercus robur)

The Brandywine:

• U7 - Irish-British hardwood alluvial forests (Quercus robur, Fraxinus excelsior, Salix atrocinerea) in combination with willow alluvial forests (Salix fragilis, Salix alba, Salix viminalis)

The White Downs:

• F106 - Picard beech forests (Fagus sylvatica)

The North Moors:

• S7 - Irish-British-west Norwegian montane blanket bogs with Rubus chamaemorus, Empetrum nigrum, Betula nana, Sphagnum fuscum

Southern marshes:

• T6 - Mosaic of wet willow-alder-birch forests (Betula pubescens, Alnus glutinosa, Salix atrocinerea) and fens on degraded lowland raised bogs

Government and militia

Government

Initially, the Shire was a part of Arthedain and the Hobbits considered themselves to be subjects of the King. It was only after the fall of Arnor that the Shire became an independent political unit led by the Thain from Tuckborough (officially the King's representative) who is the head of the important Took clan. While nominally the Thain rules over the four Farthings, in practice authority is so decentralised that the title is seen as more of a ceremonial formality.

The second-most senior official in the Shire is the Mayor of Michel Delving in the White Downs (by extension seen as the mayor of the Shire). The Mayor's chief duties are serving as postmaster of the Shire's Messenger Service, charging the Watch, and presiding at fairs.

Militia

The Watch is a body of Hobbits responsible for maintaining the peace in the Shire. Its members wear caps with feathers to distinguish themselves. It consists of the Shirriffs, a police force of twelve hobbits (three in each Farthing) responsible for 'Internal Work', and the Bounders, a larger body that guards the borders of the Shire. Further protection is also provided by the Rangers who patrol outside the borders of the Shire, although these were not generally known by the Shire hobbits.

Architecture

All Hobbits originally lived in holes in the ground, and in such dwellings they still feel most at home. However, over time they have been obliged to adopt other forms of abode. It is, as a rule, only the richest and the poorest Hobbits that maintain the old custom. The poorest go on living in burrows of the most primitive kind, with only one window or none; while the well-to-do still live in more luxurious versions of the simple diggings of old. But suitable sites for these large and ramifying tunnels (or smials as they called them) are not everywhere to be found; and in the flats and the low-lying districts the Hobbits, as they multiplied, began to build above ground. Even in the hilly regions and the older villages, such as Hobbiton, Tuckborough and Michel Delving there are now many houses of wood, brick, or stone. These are specially favoured by millers, smiths, ropers, and cartwrights, and others of that sort; for even when they had holes to live in, Hobbits have long been accustomed to build sheds and workshops.

Economy

The economy of the Shire is overwhelmingly agricultural, with most Hobbits living as farmers producing for their family, with some surplus going to harvest. The Shire uses agricultural techniques typical of the late Middle Ages/Early Modern period. These methods include pollarding, strip farming, the use of ploughs and cross plowing and an open field system.

The chief staple crops grown in the Shire vary by region:

• Eastfarthing: Wheat/grains, fruits (regionally), and pipeweed. Eastfarthing was described as fertile yet boggy farmland in The Yale. Cows and pigs are common.
• Southfarthing: Pipeweed and grapes for wine, as this is the warmest place in the Shire.. Most pipeweed in the Shire is grown here. Cows and pigs are common.
• Northfarthing: Barley for ales, rye and sheep

A minority of Hobbits employed in a variety of non-agricultural occupations including:

• Thatcher
• Wheeler/Cartwright
• Tailor
• Mason/stone carver
• Carpenter
• Chandler
• Baker
• Cooper
• Innkeeper (can also brew beer)
• Furrier
• Hunter
• Woodsman (harvests trees/maintains forests)
• Rope maker
• Blacksmith
• Tanner
• Apothecary
• Wine maker
• Tax Collector
• Potter
• Butcher
• Parchmenter
• Fisherman
• Glass blower
• Beekeeper
• Tobacco (pipe-weed) farmer/dryer/miller

Settlements

Westfarthing

Michel Delving

Little Delving

Greenholm

Hobbiton

Bywater

Overhill

Waymoot/Waymeet

Tuckborough

Whitwell

Tookbank

Nobottle

Needlehole

Tighfield

Gamwich

Eastfarthing

Frogmorton

Whitfurrows

Woodhall

Willowbottom

Stock

Rushey

Deephallow

Scary

Dwaling

Southfarthing

Hardbottle

Sackville

Longbottom

Pincup

Northfarthing

Oatbarton

Greenfields

Long Cleeve

Buckland

Newbury

Haysend

Bucklebury

Standelf

Breredon

Grindwall

Further reading

Tolkien Gateway