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Dates
This name was considered during the rebuilding of the Shire, probably in III 3020 (1420 by the Shire-reckoning)1
Location
Origins
Rebuilt from the ruins of Bagshot Row
Race
Culture
Settlements
Meaning
A reference to the Battle of Bywater, fought some miles to the south
Other names
A replacement for Bagshot Row; the name Better Smials was also mooted, but 'New Row' was finally chosen; known informally in Bywater as Sharkey's End

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About this entry:

  • Updated 28 January 2024
  • This entry is complete

Battle Gardens

A name mooted for the remade Bagshot Row

Map of Battle Gardens

During the War of the Ring, Lotho Sackville-Baggins took over Bag End and began to make radical changes in the Shire. Among these was the digging out of Bagshot Row, a group of Hobbit-holes beneath Bag End that housed, among others, Sam Gamgee's father Hamfast. These former occupants of Bagshot Row were moved to new houses constructed by ruffians in the service of Lotho.

After the return of the Travellers and the Battle of Bywater, Lotho's master Saruman (or 'Sharkey') was defeated, and the damage caused during the War was gradually put right. New Hobbit-holes were created where Bagshot Row had once been, and several names were proposed for this new row, of which the first recorded was 'Battle Gardens' after the victory at the Battle of Bywater. Ultimately the name chosen was the more prosaic 'New Row', and the former occupants once again settled into their smials beneath Bag End.


Notes

1

The remaking of the destroyed Bagshot Row was one of the first projects undertaken by the Shire-hobbits after the downfall of 'Sharkey'. The Shire was liberated from his control on 3 November III 3019, so it is just conceivable that the new row of Hobbit-holes was made before the end of that year (which would be 1419 by the Shire-reckoning). However, we know that part of the restoration was the installation of a large new garden (hence the proposed name of 'Battle Gardens'), so it seems more likely that the work was finished during the spring of III 3020.

See also...

Better Smials

Indexes:

About this entry:

  • Updated 28 January 2024
  • This entry is complete

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