The Encyclopedia of Arda - an interactive guide to the world of J.R.R. Tolkien
Dates
Race
Culture
Family
Established the Cotton family
Settlements
Bywater in the Westfarthing of the Shire
Pronunciation
ho'lman (the first syllable is pronounced like the English word 'hole')
Meaning
Holman derives from 'hole man'1
Other names

Indexes:

About this entry:

  • Updated 24 February 2020
  • This entry is complete

Holman ‘Long HomCotton

The first Hobbit to use the surname ‘Cotton

An early member of the Cotton family, and in fact the first to use 'Cotton' as a surname. He came from Bywater near Hobbiton, and presumably farmed the same land, down South Lane, as his son Tolman years later. Holman's cousin was his namesake, Holman Greenhand the gardener, whose gardening tradition would eventually pass on to Hamfast Gamgee and his son, Sam.


Notes

1

The name Holman is stated to derive from 'hole man', and though Tolkien does not state this explicitly, the 'hole' can probably be safely taken to refer to a Hobbit-hole. Indeed, Holman is a real English name, understood to mean 'dweller in a hollow', so Holman Cotton's name can be interpreted as 'dweller in a Hobbit-hole'.

Indexes:

About this entry:

  • Updated 24 February 2020
  • This entry is complete

For acknowledgements and references, see the Disclaimer & Bibliography page.

Original content © copyright Mark Fisher 2001, 2016, 2020. All rights reserved. For conditions of reuse, see the Site FAQ.

Website services kindly sponsored by Discus from Axiom Software Ltd.
Got a question for us? We are always on hand to help! Why not Tweet us with your queries about Discus or the DISC personality test?
The Encyclopedia of Arda
The Encyclopedia of Arda
Menu
Homepage Search Latest Entries and Updates Random Entry