Tolkien's nomenclature for the Shire and for Bree is based, as he
admitted, on the ancient nomenclature of England: mostly of Anglo-Saxon
origin, with a little bit of Norse and British Celtic mixed in. In the
context of the Shire they are of "Hobbitish" origin -- using elements of
the language the Hobbits brought with them from the upper Vales of Anduin
-- with a little bit of primitive "Dunlending" (as used by the Stoors),
represented by Celtic mixed in.
I thought it would be interesting to examine these names and
ascertain, as far as possible, their meanings; and, also where possible,
reconstruct an "original" Old English form for the names, which could be
taken to be the form the names had when the Shire was first settled by
Marcho (*Mearha) and Blanco (*Blanca) in TA 1601. The following list
contains all of the Shire-Bree names I could find, followed by an "Old
Hobbitish" form, and lastly the meaning where the meaning is not perfectly
transparent. The "Old Hobbitish" names might be found useful by anyone
who wants to imagine the situation in the earliest days of the Shire. I
found Tolkien's own "Guide to the Names in the Lord of the Rings" (printed
in Lobdell's _A Tolkien Compass_ very helpful in this exercise, as well as
Ekwall's guide to English place-names, among other Old English resources.
I'd appreciate any help anyone can give with some of the knottier
problem-names, especially Bindbole Wood, Dwaling, Girdley Island, Pincup,
and The Yale.

Archet Arcet "by the wood"
A wholly Celtic name, equivalent to Welsh Argoed, which has however
gone through the sound-changes of a word borrowed in Old English times.
Bamfurlong Beanfurlang "a furrow-length of beans," bean-field
Barrow-downs Beorga Dune "downs of barrows"
Bindbole Wood
Uncertain. Presumably contains bole < Norse bolr "trunk of a tree".
Brandywine Baernedwin "burned wine"
Brandywine is just the original (and now obsolete) word for
'brandy', the alcoholic drink. It is a relatively recent importation into
English from the Dutch brandewijn 'distilled wine'. The Old English
cognate, Baernedwin, has the virtue of looking and sounding even more like
Baranduin (the Elvish name) than Brandywine -- or even any of the other
existing Germanic-language equivalents!
Brandywine Bridge Baernedwines Brycg "bridge of Brandywine"
Bree Bre "hill"
A name derived from Celtic *briga.
Breredon Braerdun "hill of briers"
Bridgefields Brycgfeldas "fields of the bridge"
Brockenborings, -bores Broccesboran "badger's digging"
Buckland Buccaland "land of Bucca" (a proper name)
Bucklebury Buccanburh "Bucca's burg (fortified village)"
Budgeford Bolgraford "ford of the Bolgers"
Bywater Bi Waetere "(town) by the water"
Bywater Pool Pol bi Waetere "pool by the water"
Chetwood Cetwudu "wood"
The first element is Celtic, British *kaito-, Welsh coed.
Combe Cumb "valley"
Another Celtic name, from British *kumba, Welsh cwm.
Cotton Cottun "town with cottages"
Crickhollow Crycholh "low place by the hill"
The first element, cryc, is a Celticism (appropriate to Stoorish
Buckland), derived from British cruc "a hill".
Deephallow Deophealh "deep angle"
Healh (a 'haugh') meant first "angle, corner, secluded place" and
later "land by a river." The situation of Deephallow on the map of the
Shire is appropriate to either meaning.
Dwaling
Uncertain. Maybe a form of "dwelling", from OE dwellan 'stop,
stay, tarry'.
East Road East Rad
Farthing Feorthing "a quarter"
Northfarthing Northfeorthing
Southfarthing Suthfeorthing
Eastfarthing, Westfarthing Eastfeorthing, Westfeorthing
Frogmorton Froggameretun "town by the frog-pool"
Gamwich Gamenwic "game-village"
Girdley Island
Uncertain. Possibly Gyrdlieg "girdle-island"?
Greenholm Greneholm "green island"
Grindwall Grindweall "fence-wall"
Grind is a word of Norse origin meaning a barrier composed of
several horizontals slotted into two uprights.
Hardbottle Heardbotl "hard dwelling"
So called because built in a stony region.
Haysend Hegesende "end of the hedge"
High Hay Heah Hege "high hedge"
The Hill Se Hyll
Hobbiton Holbytlatun "town of hobbits"
The name suggests that it was devised by the Dunedain, or other Big
Folk in the area, and that it was one of the first hobbit-dwellings in the
region -- making "town of hobbits" a distinctive name.
Little Delving Lytel Delfing "small digging"
Longbottom Langbotm "long valley"
The Marish Se Merisc "the marsh"
Michel Delving Micel Delfing "big digging"
Mithe Mythe "confluence of rivers"
Needlehole Naedlhol
Possibly there is some other pun or meaning intended than the
obvious one, but I cannot find it. The use of -hole in Hobbitish
place-names would, of course, be very common.
Newbury Neoweburh, Niweburh "new burg"
Nobottle Neowebotl, Nowebotl "new dwelling"
Oatbarton Ateberetun "town of oats and barley"
Overbourn Marshes Ofer Burnan Merscas "marshes across the river
(Shirebourn)"
Overhill Ofer Hylle "(place) over the hill"
Pincup
Uncertain; possibly Pincopp "hill of pines" from pin "pine" and
copp "hill". But other meanings may also be possible.
Quarry
The English word. From French, ultimately from Latin quadraria.
So presumably not an original Hobbitish place-name, but a late Common
Speech word.
Rushey Ryscieg "rush-isle"
Misspelled "Rushy" on the Map. Supposed to be on an area of firm
land in the middle of the Marish, and so an "island" by comparison with the
more soggy ground elsewhere; cf. England's "Isle of Ely."
Rushock Bog Ryscuc "rushy place"
Sarn Ford
A Sindarin-Hobbitish combination. In the older language, it might
have appeared as Searn Ford. Sarn means "stone, stony" in Sindarin.
Scary Skerig "precipitous (place)"
From the dialectical word scar, older sker, of Norse origin
(evident from the preservation of sk-, in comparison to English sh-).
The Shire Seo Scir "the district"
Shirebourn Scirburna "river of the Shire"
Staddle Stathol "foundation"
Standelf Stangedelf "stone digging, quarry"
Stock Stoc "place, outlying farm or
hamlet"
The Stockbrook Se Stocbroc "the brook running through
Stock"
Thistle Brook Thistelbroc "brook surrounded by thistles"
Three Farthing Stone Threora Feorthinga Stan
Tighfield Teahfeld "rope field"
Tookbank Tucbanca "slope of the Tooks"
Banca is an assumed Old English form, not attested; English "bank"
(as in "river bank") is thought to be derived from a Norse or Danish
*banki, the OE form of which would be banca.
Tuckborough Tucburh "burg of the Tooks"
The Water Thaet Waeter
Waymoot (Waymeet) Weggemot "meeting place of the roads"
Whitfurrows Hwitfure "white furrows"
Whitwell Hwitwielle "white spring"
Willowbottom Wiligbotm "willow valley"
Withywindle Withigwindel "winding (river) under willows"
A guess; Withigwindel would most naturally be interpreted as "a
basket made of willow-branches"! But the root-word wind- continues to
imply "winding, twisting" in either sense.
Woodhall Wuduheall "hall in a wood"
Woody End Wudig Ende "place at one end of a wood"
The Yale Geal?
Probably a Celticism, derived from Welsh ia^l "cultivated upland."

/\ WISTR LAG WIGS RAIHTS
\/ WRAIQS NU IST <> David Salo
<dsalo@...> <>


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