Set-to in Bree

Early in Third Age 3019
Set-to in Bree
Conflict	War of the Ring
Place	Bree
Outcome	Ruffians defeated
Combatants
Bree-landers Ruffians
Strength
Men of Bree Barliman Butterbur Bree-hobbits Ruffians Treacherous Men of Bree Harry Goatleaf Bill Ferny
Casualties
Three of the Men of Bree Mat Heathertoes Rowlie Appledore little Tom Pickthorn from over the Hill Two of the Bree-hobbits Willie Banks from up-away one member of Underhill Family from Staddle Unknown

There was a minor set-to in Bree between the Bree-landers and the ruffians, that happened early in T.A. 3019.

History

Prelude

During the autumn of T.A, 3018 more and more 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. Two treacherous Bree-landers, Harry Goatleaf and Bill Ferny, joined with the ruffians and went off with them.

Battle

Early in the T.A. 3019 after a heavy snowfall these expelled Men attacked Bree at night. Barliman Butterbur suspected that Harry Goatleaf and Bill Ferny might let the ruffians in.

In a resulting set-to Bree-landers suffered some causalities. Three of the Men of Bree (Mat Heathertoes, Rowlie Appledore and little Tom Pickthorn from over the Hill), and two of the Bree-hobbits (Willie Banks from up-away and a member of Underhill Family from Staddle) were killed. However, the the ruffians were defeated.

Aftermath

After this skirmish some of these ruffians retreated to the woods beyond Archet, where they lived as robbers, while other, like Bill Ferny, joined their comrades in the Shire.

Despite their victory, the Bree-landers continued to be troubled by the ruffians, since it wasn't safe on the road, nobody could travel far and people locked their homes early. The Bree-landers had to keep watchers all round the fence and many men on the gates at night to protect themselves from further attacks.