According to our written histories and oral traditions, hobbits participated in the last battle against the Witch-lord of Angmar, in the North, where the last King of Arthedain and his people were defeated, and their capital city, Fornost, sacked and occupied (T.R. 1974). There would appear, however, to be no record of our hobbit bowmen and their contribution to the defense of Fornost in the oral tales or writings of Men.

The Shire itself has long been a bastion of peace, and it is only recently that we have come to realize how much we owe the kin of our great King Aragorn, who through long years have safeguarded our borders against intrusions of all kinds, and often by creatures that our King himself has described as

Their vigilance certainly accounts for why here have only been two battles fought within the Shire’s borders: the Battle of Greenfields (S.R.      ) and the Battle of Bywater (S.R.      ). Both battles were fought against those who sought to seize our lives, our property, and our land itself. However, only the Battle of Bywater was part of a larger conflict. Returning victorious from the East, where they were instrumental in the defeat of the Enemy in the recent and terrible War of the Ring, Masters Meriadoc Brandybuck, Peregrine Took, Sam Gamgee (now      and mayor of the Shire), and Frodo Baggins (of the ancient and illustrious Baggins clan) roused our oppressed people. Together, we defeated the occupying forces of Sharkey (aka       ), the final, bitter extirpation of the last remnants of the Dark Lord Sauron’s forces.

To read the Roll of Honour in which the dead of the Battle of Bywater are commemorated, click here:

We invite the family and friends of the fallen to visit the Mathom-house’s new addition, the Room of Remembrance, and to record in our Great Book their memories of those who died to protect the people and the land that they so loved.