Mrs. Bunce

Mrs. Bunce flees from the Lonely Troll - Illustration by Pauline Baynes
Hobbit
Mrs. Bunce
Biographical Information
Location	Delving
Affiliation	The Shire
Physical Description
Gender	Female
Gallery	Images of Mrs. Bunce

Mrs. Bunce was an old Hobbit inhabitant of the town of Delving who appeared in Perry-the-Winkle, a nursery rhyme by Samwise Gamgee.

In the poem, Mrs. Bunce was "walking the street" in the early morning when she was greeted by the Lonely Troll who came into town to make a friend. As a consequence, she dropped her umbrella and basket, and "yelled a frightful yell" before running home to hide "beneath her bed". Her yell was heard by Pott the Mayor, who dived underground in fear.

Later, Mrs. Bunce was among the Shire-hobbits who travelled to Faraway in order to demand food from the Lonely Troll. Mrs. Bunce was among four Hobbits who the Troll never wanted to see again.

Background

In the first version of the poem in early 1928, which was entitled The Bumpus, Mrs. Bunce was called Mrs. Thomas and had the same role as in the latest version. However, in the first version, when the people all line up at the Bumpus's door, Mrs. Thomas is described as being "late and last" with "her bonnet" being askew. No changes to the character occurred in the second version on 29 March, in which Tolkien revised the poem as part of his Tales and Songs of Bimble Bay series. The third version also retained the same details in relation to Mrs. Thomas.

In early 1961, when Tolkien revised the poem for inclusion within The Adventures of Tom Bombadil, Mrs. Thomas was given the name Mrs. Bunce and her role was very slightly reduced.