In the area of the Westfarthing known as Tookland, the most prominent village is Tuckborough. Those who reside here amongst the hills, trees, and meadows, as the name of the village might suggest, are mostly Tooks, or cousins, relatives, or close acquaintances of Tooks, and are a friendly lot who welcome visitors from all parts of Middle-earth. It is here that travelers will find the Great Smials of the Tooks, an underground dwelling of immense proportions, and one which is still growing to this day, with a seemingly endless series of rooms and tunnels which have been continuously excavated for nearly 400 years.
Tuckborough is located at the western end of the Stock Road, as it makes its way across the Green Hill Country from Woodhall in the Eastfarthing. Hills perfect for Hobbit-holes feature prominently to the village's north and east, while to the west and south, the lands flatten considerably into broad meadows and green farms toward Michel Delving, Hardbottle, and the Shire's outlying villages.
Roads to and from Tuckborough are not many, so those who wish to travel to this region of the Shire had best be ready for some cross-country hiking, which will likely include steep hills thick with trees and rolling valleys with swiftly flowing streams, although such travel in this peaceful part of Middle-earth tends to be a decidedly pleasant journey.
Tuckborough
Quick Facts
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| Dates: | Founded no earlier than III 16011 (year 1 by the Shire-reckoning): survived into the Fourth Age | ||||||||||||||
| Location: | In the Westfarthing of the Shire, among the western slopes of the Green Hills | ||||||||||||||
| Race: | Hobbits | ||||||||||||||
| Culture: | Shire-hobbits | ||||||||||||||
| Family: | Associated with the Tooks | ||||||||||||||
| Meaning: | Never given explicitly, but almost certainly 'Took town' | ||||||||||||||
The township beneath Great Smials
An old and important settlement in the Westfarthing of the Shire. It was the location of Great Smials, the ancestral seat of the Took clan, the hereditary Thains of the Shire.
Footnotes
| 1 | It is known that Tuckborough was one of the oldest settlements of the Shire-hobbits, though whether it dated all the way back to the Shire's foundation is open to question. The Yearbook of Tuckborough (also called Yellowskin) contained entries dating back to approximately III 2100 (or c.500 by the Shire-reckoning), which might imply that the town itself was founded in the same general period, though that dating cannot of course be taken as conclusive. |
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