Dates
Founded in III 1601 (year 1 by the Shire-reckoning), and expanded to include Buckland in III 2340, and the Westmarch in IV 31 (740 and 1452 by the Shire-reckoning) Location
Eriador in the northwest of Middle-earth
Race
Culture
Settlements
Brockenbores, Budgeford, Bywater, Deephallow, Dwaling, Frogmorton, Little Delving, Hobbiton, Longbottom, Michel Delving, Needlehole, Nobottle, Oatbarton, Overhill, Pincup, Rushey, Scary, Stock, Tookbank, Tuckborough, Underhill, Waymeet, Whitfurrows, Willowbottom
Meaning
From Old English scír, meaning a land granted as a fiefdom
Other Names
Indexes:
About this entry:
- Updated 21 February 2008
- Updates planned: 50
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The central regions of the Shire
(Partially conjectural)
At the end of the Third Age, the Shire was the most populous country of the Hobbits in the north of Middle-earth. It was founded in the middle of the Third Age by the Bree-hobbits Marcho and Blanco, and gifted to them and their followers by King Argeleb II of Arthedain, within whose borders the land lay at that time.
The Shire was divided into four farthings, North, South, East and West; its chief town was at Michel Delving on the White Downs, in the Westfarthing. The Mayor of Michel Delving was accounted among the most important of the Shire-hobbits, as was the Thain (the head of the Took family).
The Shire was largely given over to agriculture, and its land was well-suited for farming. One of its chief products was Halflings' Leaf (tobacco), grown especially in the warmer regions of the Southfarthing.
See also...
Adamanta Chubb, Aduial, Afteryule, Alfrida of the Yale, Andrath, Apples, Aragorn Elessar, Arahad II, Argeleb II, Argonui, Arnor, Arvegil, Baggins Family, Balin, Bamfurlong, [See the full list...]Banakil, Banazîr, Bandobras ‘Bullroarer’ Took, Banks Family, Barley, Barrow-downs, Battle of Greenfields, Big People, Bilbo Baggins, Bingo Baggins, Birthday Party, Black Riders, Blanco, Blanco Bracegirdle, Blodmath, Blommath, Blooting, Boffin Family, Bolger Family, Bounders, Bowman ‘Nick’ Cotton, Brandagamba Family, Brandybuck Family, Brandywine Bridge, Bree, Bree-landers, Bridge Inn, Bridgefields, Brockenbores, Brockhouse Family, Bucca of the Marish, Buckland Gate, Bucklanders, Bucklebury Ferry, Budgeford, Bumpkin, Burrows Family, Bywater, Bywater Pool, Bywater Road, Carl ‘Nibs’ Cotton, Cedars, Chestnuts, Chief, Chief Shirriff, Chieftain of the Dúnedain, Cock-robin, Cotton Family, Counsellor of the North-kingdom, Crickhollow, Dark Plague, Deephallow, Dora Baggins, Dragon of Erebor, Dunlendish, Dwaling, East End, East Road, Eastfarthing of the Shire, Eastmarch of the Shire, Elanor Gamgee, Elfstan Fairbairn, Elostirion, Elvet-isle, Emyn Beraid, Ent-draughts, Entwade, Fallohides, Fang, Far Downs, Farewell Party, Farewell Speech, Farmer Maggot, Farthings, Ferumbras Took II, Ferumbras Took III, Fíriel, First Eastfarthing Troop, Flourdumpling, Folco Boffin, Folklands, Fortinbras Took I, Four Farthings, Fourth Age, Fredegar ‘Fatty’ Bolger, Frery, Frodo Baggins, Frogmorton, Frogs, Gaffer Gamgee, Galabas, Galbasi, Gamgee Family, Gamwich, Gandalf, Gardner Family, Gate-keepers, Girdley Island, Goldworthy Family, Golfimbul, Goodbody Family, Gorhendad Oldbuck (later Brandybuck), Great Place of the Tooks, Great Road, Great Willow, Green Dragon, Green Hill Country, Green Hills, Greenfields, Greenholm, Gríma Wormtongue, Gundabald Bolger, Halflings’ Leaf, Halfred Gamgee, Hardbottle, Harding, Harry Goatleaf, Hay Gate, Hazel, Hensday, Herblore of the Shire, Herugar Bolger, Hevensday, Hob Hayward, Hobbit-holes, Hobbit-lands, Hobbit-names, Hobbiton, Hobbiton Road, Hobbitry-in-arms, Hobbits, Hobbits of the Shire, Hobson, Horn of the Mark, Hornblower Family, Inglorion, Isembold Took, Isengrim Took II, Isumbras Took I, Isumbras Took III, Khamûl, King of Arthedain, King under the Mountain, Kingfishers, Kings’ Norbury, Kûd-dûkan, Land of the Halflings, Last Riding of the Keepers, Lightfoot Family, Little Delving, Little Folk, Lobelia Sackville-Baggins (née Bracegirdle), Lockholes, Lone-lands, Long Cleeve, Longbottom, Longbottom Leaf, Lord of the Nazgûl, Lotho Sackville-Baggins, Mad Baggins, Maggot Family, Maggot’s Lane, Malinorni, Marchbuck Family, Marcho, Master, Master of Buckland, Mathoms, Mayor of Michel Delving, Mayor of the Shire, Men of Bree, Meresdei, Mersday, Mewlips, Michel Delving, Mithe, Monday, Moria-silver, Morrowdim, Mosco Burrows, Mount Gram, Mushrooms, Nasturtians, Needlehole, Nobottle, Norbury of the Kings, North Moors, North-took Family, Northfarthing of the Shire, Oatbarton, Old Forest, Old Gamgee, Old Noakes, Old Toby, Old Toby, Old Will, Old Winyards, Otto Boffin, Outsiders, Overbourn Marshes, Overhill, Overlithe, Paladin Took II, Palantíri, Party Tree, Peregrin ‘Pippin’ Took I, Pimple, Pincup, Pinnath Gelin, Porto Baggins, Primrose Boffin, Proudfoot Family, Puddifoot Family, Quick Post, Red Book of the Periannath, Reunited Kingdom, Ring-bearers, River Baranduin, River Bralda-hîm, River Branda-nîn, River Brandywine, River Shirebourn, Robin ‘Cock-robin’ Smallburrow, Roper Family, Rosa Baggins, Rosamunda Took, Roses, Ruler, Rushey, Rushock Bog, Sackville Family, Sandyman, Sarn Ford, Scary, Seeing-stone of Emyn Beraid, Sharkey, Sharkey’s Men, Sharkû, Sharp-ears, Shire Calendar, Shire-folk, Shire-moot, Shire-reckoning, Shire-thain, Shirriffs, Silmarillion, Silver Pennies, Smallburrow Family, Solmath, South Lane, Southern Star, Southfarthing of the Shire, Southlinch, Stock, Stock Road, Stoors of the Angle, Strider, Summerdays, Summerfilth, Sunday, Sunnendei, Sûza, Swertings, Swish-tail, Tale of the Ring, Tanta Hornblower, Thain of the Shire, The Angle, The Boss, The Causeway, The Fat, The Floating Log, The Golden Perch, The Great, The Ivy Bush, The Magnificent, The Marish, The Pool, The Ring, The Ring-bearer, The River, The Stock-brook, The Water, The Yale, Third Age, Thistle Brook, Thorin and Company, Three-Farthing Stone, Thrimidge, Thrimilch, Tighfield, Tobold Hornblower, Tolman ‘Tom’ Cotton, senior, Tom Bombadil, Took Family, Tookland, Tower Hills, Travellers, Trewesdei, Trewsday, Tuckborough, Tûk Family, Underhill Family, Undertowers, War of the Ring, Warden of Westmarch, Waymeet, Wellinghall, West-gate of Bree, Westfarthing of the Shire, Westmarch of the Shire, White Downs, White Wolves, Whitfoot Family, Whitfurrows, Whitwell, Wilcome ‘Jolly’ Cotton, Will Whitfoot, Willie Banks, Willowbottom, Wintring, Wise-nose, Wolf, Woodhall, Woody End, Worm, Yearbook of Tuckborough, Yellowskin, Yule, Yuledays, Yulemath, Zaragamba Family
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