Buckland

2009-07-30T20:38:39Z

75.19.176.115: /* Inspiration */ Added real places on the U.K. map

{{sources}}
{{kingdom
| image =
| name = Buckland
| meaning =
| type = Hereditary clanship
| hidep=yes
| headofstate = [[Master of Buckland]]
| executive =
| legislative =
| judicial =
| capital = [[Bucklebury]] (de facto)
| language = [[Hobbitish]]
| location = between the Brandywine River and the Old Forest, east of the Shire, Central [[Eriador]]
| populace= [[Hobbits]], mostly of the eponymous Brandybuck clan
| currency =
| religious =
| holiday =
| anthem =
| formed = colonization of Buckland by Brandybuck Hobbits of the Shire, led by Gorhendad Oldbuck, in T.A. 2340
| reorganized = formally incorporated as a sub-region of the Shire by King Elessar in the early Fourth Age
| fragmented =
| dissolved =
| restored =
}}

'''Buckland''' is a small but densely populated sliver of land between the [[Old Forest]] and the east bank of the [[Brandywine]] river, inhabited by [[Hobbits]] from the Shire, mostly of the Brandybuck family, who colonized it. Buckland was thus technically not part of the Shire itself, and was effectively a tiny independent country (until later formally added to the Shire during the Fourth Age).

==History==
740 years after the founding of the [[Shire]], in [[Third Age 2340]], [[Gorhendad Oldbuck]] crossed the River [[Brandywine]] from the [[Eastfarthing]] and started the building of [[Brandy Hall]] in [[Buck Hill]], in a land hitherto unpopulated by hobbits.

As Gorhendad's family grew, the Hall also expanded, and soon there was a flourishing community in the land between the River and the Old Forest. From that time, Buckland was ruled by the [[Brandybuck]]s (as Gorhendad renamed his family to reflect their new relationship with the river), who were given the title '[[Master of Buckland]]'.

The village of [[Bucklebury]], lying close by [[Buck Hill]], was Buckland's chief village, but with the expanding population, many other villages soon grew up in the region, the largest of which were [[Newbury]], [[Crickhollow]] and [[Standelf]]. The growing power of the Master of Buckland gained respect from those close by in the Eastfarthing, too; the lands of the [[Marish]] between [[Stock]] and [[Rushey]] also acknowledged themselves under the sway of Brandy Hall.

The Bucklanders soon found themselves threatened by the strange trees of the Forest, and so built a vast hedge, the [[High Hay]], stretching twenty miles along the eastern border of their land. This was not the only danger to threaten Buckland - in [[Third Age 2911|T.A. 2911]]), the year of the [[Fell Winter]], the Brandywine froze and Buckland was invaded by white wolves.

Buckland was also the childhood home of [[Frodo Baggins]], who returned here on his journey to [[Bree]] in [[Third Age 3018|T.A. 3018]]. He bought a house in [[Crickhollow]], and claimed that he would be living there, but instead entered the [[Old Forest]] through the old [[Hay Gate]], and left of the Shire.

In the [[Fourth Age]], Buckland was renamed [[Eastmarch]], in contrast to the [[Westmarch]].

==Status==
Buckland was technically not part of the Shire (as granted by the [[King of Arthedain]]), and was indeed formed over 300 years after Arthedain ceased to exist. Buckland may actually have been in what used to be considered part of [[Cardolan]] and may never have belonged to Arthedain, further making its colonization an independent action by the Hobbits. Thus, Buckland was essentially a small independent country of Hobbits, mostly of the Brandybuck family.

However it was effectively not much different from other Hobbit family homelands (such as the [[Tookland]], which the [[Tooks]] were effectively controlling). Authority in the Shire had become so bucolic and decentralized, that simply no one took the time to assert these rival claims. Parts of the [[Marish]], part of the Shire-proper, acknowledge the authority of the [[Master of Buckland]] and not the [[Thain]] of the Shire.

In practice, Hobbits from the Shire-proper seem to have considered Buckland an odd frontier of "the Shire" more than as a separate country.

==Culture==
Although similar in many ways to other hobbits, the Bucklanders did have certain peculiarities. Due no doubt in part to the [[Fallohides|Fallohidish]] blood of the Brandybucks, the hobbits of Buckland were somewhat more adventurous than their cousins in the Shire (while still conservative by the measure of many other races in Middle-earth). The Bucklanders are characterized as being of predominantly [[Stoor]] ancestry, and were thus a people accustomed to riversides. They enjoyed boating, an activity frowned upon by Shire-hobbits, and some of them could even swim. Due to the often muddy nature of the land near the river, it was not uncommon for Bucklanders to wear boots, making them the only Hobbits known to wear shoes.
When the [[Bree-folk]] ventured to the Shire, Buckland was their usual destination (though some ventured as far as the Eastfarthing), and so was rather more cosmopolitan (in hobbit terms) than the rest of the land.

There were some minor linguistic regional differences between Buckland and the Shire. The Brandybucks of Buckland are noted as having a particularly high concentration of Stoorish blood. Thus there were some minor linguistic anomalies in the place-names of Buckland and perhaps the accent of its speech. Also, Hobbits of Stoorish blood are noted as being the only Hobbits who are known to normally grow facial hair.

Living under constant danger from the Old Forest, the Bucklanders were hardier and more suspicious than the usual Shire-hobbit. They were organised to deal with danger (through the famous Horn-call of Buckland), and they kept their doors locked at night, which was unusual in the Shire.

Due to these cultural differences, there was an ubiquitous sentiment in other regions of the Shire (such as [[Hobbiton]] and [[Bywater]]) that "there's queer folk in Buckland".
==Etymology==
The word "Buck" means "goat" or "deer".

Unlike other [[Mannish]] words and names, which are rendered in English, Gothic or Celtic, Tolkien said he left genuine the Brandybucks' names, (save [[Kalimac]] which he rendered as [[Meriadoc]]), since they sounded peculiar to Hobbits as they appear peculiar to us.

Therefore the names are 'actual' as they were spoken by the Hobbits. Except some few exceptions, most of the Bucklandish names resemble actual Celtic or pseudo-Celtic names from the Arthurian cycle.

==Inspiration==
Tolkien mentioned that the survival of traces of the older language of the Stoors and the Bree-men resembled the survival of Celtic elements in England.

''Buckland'' and ''Little Buckland'' are real places on the map of England, located just to the south of [[Evesham]].<ref>[[Mark T. Hooker]], [[The Hobbitonian Anthology]], pp. 97, 112.</ref>

{{references}}

[[Category:Buckland]]
[[Category:Shire]]
[[de:Bockland]]
[[fi:Bukinmaa]]

Evesham

2009-07-30T20:31:10Z

75.19.176.115: New page: Tolkien's mother's family lived in Evesham (Worcestershire) for generations, and his brother Hilary's farm was located near Evesham. <ref>The J.R.R. Tolkien Companion and Guide, [[The ...

Tolkien's mother's family lived in Evesham (Worcestershire) for generations, and his brother Hilary's farm was located near Evesham.
<ref>[[The J.R.R. Tolkien Companion and Guide]], [[The J.R.R. Tolkien Companion and Guide: Chronology]], pp. 984, 1017.</ref> In [[letter 44]], Tolkien said that Worcestershire was more like home to him than any other part of the world.
{{references}}

Gorhendad Oldbuck

2009-07-30T20:07:16Z

75.19.176.115: /* Etymology */ put back Ogforgad with cite to earlier ms version

'''Gorhendad Oldbuck''' was the founder of [[Buckland]] and of the [[Brandybuck]] family.

==History==
When Gorhendad crossed the [[Brandywine|Brandywine River]] from the Shire, he changed his name from [[Oldbuck Family|Oldbuck]] to [[Brandybuck Family|Brandybuck]]. He was twelfth [[Thain]] of [[the Shire]] and the last Brandybuck to carry this title.

==Etymology==
''Gorhendad'' is the translation of ''Ogmandab''<ref>{{HM|PM}}, "[[The Appendix on Languages]]", note 8</ref> (in an earlier manuscript version spelled ''Ogforgad''<ref name=granddad>{{HM|PM}}, "[[The Appendix on Languages]], p. 81."</ref>) which, according to Stoor tradition, used to mean "great-grandfather".<ref name="granddad" > </ref> ''Gorhendad'' is the modern Welsh word for "great-grandfather."<ref>[[Wayne G. Hammond]], [[Christina Scull]], ''[[The Lord of the Rings: A Reader's Companion]]'', p. 115</ref><ref>[[Mark T. Hooker]], [[A Tolkienian Mathomium]], p. 10</ref>

{{references}}

{{Sequence
|prev=Unknown, eventually [[Bucca of the Marish]]
|next=[[Isumbras Took I]]
|list=12th [[Thain]] of the [[Shire]]<br>[[Third Age]] ?? - [[Third Age 2340|2340]] |}}
[[Category:Hobbits]]
[[Category:Oldbuck]]
[[Category:Brandybuck]]
[[de:Gorhendad Altbock]]
[[fi:Gorhendad Ikäbuk]]

Gorhendad Oldbuck

2009-07-30T19:40:53Z

75.19.176.115: /* Etymology */ correct typo in original Hobbit name

'''Gorhendad Oldbuck''' was the founder of [[Buckland]] and of the [[Brandybuck]] family.

==History==
When Gorhendad crossed the [[Brandywine|Brandywine River]] from the Shire, he changed his name from [[Oldbuck Family|Oldbuck]] to [[Brandybuck Family|Brandybuck]]. He was twelfth [[Thain]] of [[the Shire]] and the last Brandybuck to carry this title.

==Etymology==
''Gorhendad'' is the translation of ''Ogforgad'' which, according to Stoor tradition, used to mean "great-grandfather".<ref>{{HM|PM}}, "[[The Appendix on Languages]]"</ref> ''Gorhendad'' is the modern Welsh word for "great-grandfather." <ref>[[Mark T. Hooker]], [[A Tolkienian Mathomium]], p. 10.</ref>

{{references}}

{{Sequence
|prev=Unknown, eventually [[Bucca of the Marish]]
|next=[[Isumbras Took I]]
|list=12th [[Thain]] of the [[Shire]]<br>[[Third Age]] ?? - [[Third Age 2340|2340]] |}}
[[Category:Hobbits]]
[[Category:Oldbuck]]
[[Category:Brandybuck]]
[[de:Gorhendad Altbock]]
[[fi:Gorhendad Ikäbuk]]

Tolkien Gateway - User contributions [en]

Buckland

Evesham

Gorhendad Oldbuck

Gorhendad Oldbuck