The son of Marmadoc Brandybuck, who inherited the title Master of Buckland from his father. Early in his time as Master, the Fell Winter descended, and White Wolves invaded the Hobbit-lands. He was renowned for his love of good food (hence, no doubt, his nickname 'Broadbelt'), and his generous hospitality. It was during one of his famous feasts that Frodo's parents Drogo and Primula were lost in a boating accident.
Notes
1
Tolkien's choice of the name Gorbadoc seems to have been influenced by the quasi-historical character of Gorboduc. That figure was an ancient King of the Britons named in Geoffrey of Monmouth's History of the Kings of Britain, about whom several plays were later written. The meaning of the name - if indeed it has one - is less than clear. In Welsh, the King was known as Gorwy, which can mean 'edge' or 'margin', so conceivably Gorbadoc Brandybuck's name held a reference to his importance in Buckland on the eastern march of the Shire.
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