The Encyclopedia of Arda - an interactive guide to the world of J.R.R. Tolkien
Dates
Established after the founding of the Shire in III 1601 (year 1 by the Shire-reckoning)
Location
The northern quarter of the Shire, running from a point northward of Bywater towards the Hills of Evendim, and eastwards as far as the river Brandywine
Race
Culture
Families
The Bracegirdles and North-tooks had their folklands in this farthing
Settlements
Source
An (unnamed) tributary of the Water had its spring near Bindbole Wood in the Northfarthing
Meaning
A 'farthing' is an old word for a quarter or fourth part

Indexes:

About this entry:

  • Updated 19 January 2018
  • Updates planned: 1

Northfarthing of the Shire

The northern quarter of the Land of the Halflings

Map of the Northfarthing of the Shire
The Northfarthing of the Shire (somewhat conjectural)2
The Northfarthing of the Shire (somewhat conjectural)2

Farthings and marches of the Shire

The cold northern quarter of the Shire, in which the Battle of Greenfields was fought.


Notes

1

Actually, Oatbarton is the only location that is definitively identified in canon as the belonging to the Northfarthing. We can be confident that Hardbottle also lay in this area because, while not stated in any canonical source, Tolkien confirms this in his guide for translators. Long Cleeve is a less definite case, but there are various clues, including its connection with the North-took family, that point to it being within the borders of the Northfarthing.

2

The northern areas of the Shire's Northfarthing are nowhere mapped in detail, so some elements of this map are necessarily conjectural. In particular, the location of the river Norbourn and the Greenfields region are based entirely on textual descriptions. The upper course of the Water is also unknown (it is assumed here that it had its sources in the slopes of the Hills of Evendim) and the northern extent of Bindbole Wood is not definitively established.

Indexes:

About this entry:

  • Updated 19 January 2018
  • Updates planned: 1

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