The Shire of the Hobbits: Thains of the Shire

Thains of the Shire

The first Shire hobbits were ruled by local chieftains under the nominal authority of the King in Fornost. The North Kingdom ended in TA 1974 (SR 374) after the Battle of Fornost. Soon afterwards, in TA 1979, the hobbits chose a Thain from among their chieftains to take the place of the King. The first Thain of the Shire was Bucca of the Marish. His descendants were the Oldbucks. The Thain was the master of the Shire-moot and captain of the Shire-muster, and the Hobbitry-in-arms.

In SR 740 (TA 2340) the Oldbucks left the Shire and settled the Buckland. About this time they became known as the Brandybucks. The office of Thain then passed to the prominent Took family. Isumbras I became the 13th Thain and the first Thain of the Took line.

The Oldbuck (Brandybuck) Thains included:

1st Thain - Bucca of the Marish
Thain from SR 379 (TA 1979) - ?

The Took Thains included:

Thains 2 - 9 presumably included Isengrim I, Isumbras II, Ferumbras I, and Paladin I.

1st Thain of the Took line - Isumbras I
Thain from SR 1740 (TA 2340) - ?

10th - Isengrim II (SR 1020 - 1122)
Thain from SR 1083 (TA 2683) - SR 1122
Excavation of the Great Smials begins

11th - Isumbras III (1066 - 1159) - the son of Isengrim II
Thain from 1122 - 1159
Bandobras (1104 to 1206) routed an invasion of Orcs at the Battle of Greenfields in SR 1147 (TA 2747). Gandalf "helped the Shire-folk" in SR 1158 (TA 2758) during the Long Winter.

12th - Ferumbras II (1101 - 1201) - the son of Isumbras III
Thain from 1159 - 1201

13th - Fortinbras I (1145 - 1248) - the son of Ferumbras II
Thain from 1201 - 1248

14th - Gerontius, the Old Took (1190 - 1320) - the son of Fortinbras I
Thain from 1248 - 1320

15th - Isengrim III (1232 - 1330) - the son of Gerontius and Adamanta Chubb
Thain from 1320 - 1330

16th - Isumbras IV (1238 - 1339) - the brother of Isengrim III
Thain from 1330 - 1339

17th - Fortinbras II (1278 - 1380) - the son of Isumbras IV
Thain from 1339 - 1380

18th - Ferumbras III (1316 - 1415) - the son of Fortinbras II and Lalia Clayhanger (died 1402)
Thain from 1380? - 1415

19th - Paladin II (1333 - 1434) - the son of Adalgrim and the grandson of Hildigrim Took and Rosa Baggins. Hildigrim was the son of Gerontius, the Old Took.
Thain from 1415 - 1434

20th - Peregrin I (b 1390) - the son of Paladin II and Eglantine Banks
Thain from 1434 - 1484 (but died a few years later in Gondor)

21st - Faramir I (b 1430) - the son of Peregrin I and Diamond of Long Cleeve
Thain from SR 1484 - ?

From: Letters of J.R.R. Tolkien, The Lord of the Rings

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Updated January 3, 2012