#brandybucks

Tolkien Food Week 2025 Day 1: soups and stews | Hobbits

Mushroom, Leek & Potato Stew [young Frodo in Buckland] - AO3 link.

Recipe here.

The Buckland is the small hobbit-inhabited area east of the Brandywine River and west of the Old Forest. Interestingly enough, it was not part of the original given to the hobbits by Argeleb II (see this post for the history of The Shire.) Basically, the land that the king gave to the hobbits became the Shire, but Buckland is not part of that land. It wasn't even inhabited at all until 740 years after the founding of the Shire. 

In 2340 TA Gorhendad Oldbuck decided to travel east of the Brandywine River and start building a new settlement. He started by building his own home, Brandy Hall, and then changed his own name to Brandybuck (to represent his tie to the Brandywine River.) As time went on, Buckland's population grew. Bucklebury was its largest village, though Crickhollow, Newbury, and Standelf were decently sized too. It was largely inhabited by other Brandybucks, and in general the region was known for its unusually high concentration of Stoorish hobbits (see this post for more information on the different types of hobbits.)

Partially because of this Stoorish blood, but also because of Buckland's frontier nature, there are several cultural differences between the hobbits of Buckland and of the Shire proper. Many Brandybucks enjoy boats and activities on the water, which other hobbits definitely do not. And because they don't have the protection of the river like the Shire proper does, the hobbits of Brandybuck are much more suspicious and ready for trouble (they lock their doors at night, built the High Hay - a tall hedge - between them and the Old Forest, and they have the Horn-call of Buckland prepared to alert the hobbits of danger.) Since they're more likely to meet travelers from Bree, they're also a bit more worldly than other hobbits.

The political implications of the founding of Buckland are pretty interesting too.  Since the land was not part of the original grant that Argeleb II made, many Tolkien scholars question whether Buckland is really part of the Shire at all. And having been founded without any permission from any king (Arnor having been destroyed by this time), Buckland may be the only truly independent hobbit settlement left. Finally, the creation of Buckland strongly affected leadership in the Shire. Gorhendad Oldbuck had been Thain of the Shire when he left (the Thain being the closest thing the Shire had to a head of state.) Because he left the Shire, the Thainship passed on to a new family - the Tooks. Gorhendad instead became the Master of Buckland, a position that he passed down to his descendants. Because power in the Shire is so decentralized, the Master of Buckland had a great deal of power, and his influence was even known to spread to the easternmost part of the Shire proper.

SOURCES: LOTR, LOTR Appendices, LOTR Prologue, The Hobbit

Ah, the sad story of Drogo Baggins and Primula Brandybuck, Frodo’s ill-fated parents. Though the family most likely lived in Hobbiton, they would often visit Primula’s family in Buckland. On one of these visits the pair went boating and drowned.

Though there are not definitive details about the accident given, some of the Shire’s more gossipy hobbits had theories of their own. Some say the two were boating at night, and Drogo’s weight sank them. Others say Primula pushed Drogo overboard, and then was pulled over herself. Whatever the cause, both hobbits (like almost all hobbits) could not swim, and so they drowned. ((There is even an amusing theory floating about some forums that Gollum, who is rumored to have reached the Brandybuck River in his pursuit of Bilbo after losing the ring, came upon the couple and drowned them himself, before giving in to Sauron’s summons and heading eastward instead of going on to Hobbiton.))

Frodo, orphaned at age 12 (keep in mind hobbits don’t reach adulthood until 33) lived for a few years in Brandy Hall in Buckland with his uncle Rorimack. There he earned a reputation for causing trouble and mischief. Eventually he was adopted by Bilbo (who is actually his mother’s cousin, not his uncle) and moved to live with him in Hobbiton.

Frodo and Bilbo got along very well, having much in common (including a birthday!) Bilbo shared his stories with Frodo, and even taught him some of the Elvish language. Bilbo stayed in the Shire until his 111th birthday (which happened to be Frodo’s 33rd), when he took off on his adventurous retirement, leaving his magic ring and Bag End in the care of his heir, Frodo.