Shire-reckoning is the system of years used exclusively by the hobbits in J.R.R. Tolkien's the Lord of the Rings. Its epoch (Year 1), corresponding to the founding of the Shire by Marcho and Blanco, fell in 1601 of the Third Age, as reckoned by the other races of Middle-Earth. Thus conversion from one system to the other is simply a matter of adding or subtracting 1600. The hobbits continued to use their Shire-reckoning through the change of age: while III 3021 was considered to be the first year of the Fourth Age, to the hobbits it was simply 1421.

Some important years:

  • 1 - the Shire founded
  • 379 - Bucca becomes first Thain of the Shire
  • 863 - the Ring comes to Gollum
  • 1070 - Tobold Hornblower plants first pipe-weed
  • 1311 - the Fell Winter in the Shire
  • 1341 - Bilbo finds the Ring
  • 1401 - Bilbo's farewell party
  • 1418-1419 - the quest of the Ring
  • 1421 - Frodo, Bilbo, and the keepers of the Elven-Rings depart over the Sea.
  • 1427-1476 - Sam is Mayor of the Shire
  • 1432 - Merry becomes Master of Buckland
  • 1434 - Pippin becomes Thain



Inspired by a look at my nodeshells.

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