Ruffians

Storming the Bank by Ted Nasmith

Ruffians, also known in the Shire as Chief's Men or Sharkey's Men, were a group of Men and Half-orcs from the lands south of the Shire.

History

In the late autumn or early winter of T.A. 3018, a lot of Men, mostly ruffians, came to the Shire with great wagons from the south. The ruffians among them were working for Saruman, and it was because of him and his interest in procuring pipe-weed for himself that they were traveling north. Some of them left to carry pipe-weed and other goods from the Shire back south to Isengard, while others remained and helped Lotho take over the Shire. Soon even more Men came. They felled trees, built sheds and houses for themselves across the Shire and ordered the hobbits around, taking what they wanted and suppressing any dissent.

Around the same time some Men came to Bree up the Greenway from the south. While some of them were refugees, many were bad men. Before the end of T.A. 3018 the Bree-landers expelled the new-comers from Bree, but early in the T.A. 3019 after a heavy snowfall these Men attacked Bree with the help of Harry Goatleaf and Bill Ferny, who might have let them in. In a resulting set-to five Bree-landers were killed, but the ruffians were defeated. Some of them retreated to the woods beyond Archet, where they lived as robbers, while some others, like Bill Ferny, joined Sharkey's Men in the Shire.

Meanwhile in the Shire, soon after the New Year of T.A. 3019, Lotho declared himself the Chief Shirriff. However, Paladin Took, the Thain of the Shire, refused to acknowledge Lotho's authority and didn't let the ruffians to enter Tookland. This lead to skirmishes, in which three ruffians, as well as one or two hobbits, were shot. After that the ruffians became more ruthless. On September 22, T.A. 3019, when Sharkey himself came to the Shire and usurped Lotho, the actions of the ruffians became even harsher. By that time the Shire was occupied by about 300 ruffians, armed with whips, knives, clubs and some bows.

One of the leaders of the ruffians was killed and about a score of them were captured by the Shire-hobbits on November 2, during the rebellion in Bywater. As a result of the Battle of Bywater on the next day, November 3, nearly seventy more ruffians were killed and buried in the Battle Pit, and a dozen imprisoned. After that the southern gangs of ruffians offered little resistance and fled from the Shire, and those ruffians who were captured were shown to the borders.

Etymology

Ruffian is an English word that derives from the Middle French word rufian, which itself derives from the Italian word ruffiano (“pimp”). The word Ruffian is defined as a "scoundrel, rascal or unprincipled, deceitful, brutal and unreliable person."

Portrayal in adaptations

1981: The Lord of the Rings (1981 radio series):

John Bott portrays one of the Ruffians of the Chief's Men.

2003: Pán prsteňov (2001-2003 Slovak radio series):

The voices of two Ruffians of the Chief's Men are provided by Martin Vitek and Ivan Laca.

2007: The Lord of the Rings Online:

The Ruffians of Sharkey's Men can be found in regions throughout central Eriador, including Bree-land and the Shire. They are classified as "Brigands", a common type of enemy found across Middle-earth.