AUTHOR'S NOTES -
CHAPTER 34: DEATH AND DEPARTURE
Elfstan was twenty-eight now
The Return of the King, Appendix B:
1454 Elfstan Fairbairn, son of Fastred and Elanor, is born.
1482 Death of Mistress Rose.
a gaggle of smaller grandchildren appeared in the doorway, shepherded by Holfast. No doubt their older cousin had been showing them what they could pick in the garden.
The Return of the King, Appendix C: The Longfather Tree of Master Samwise shows that Frodo Gardner’s son Holfast was born in 1462.
‘He misses his Estella,’ whispered Rosie.
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‘You comforted me when my Diamond died...’
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We were talking just yesterday about going away together one day, leaving everything to Faramir and Théo and just going away to visit Rohan and Gondor.
The Return of the King, Appendix B: “1484 In the spring of the year a message came from Rohan to Buckland that King Eomer wished to see Master Holdwine once again. Meriadoc was then old (102) but still hale. He took counsel with his friend the Thain, and soon after they handed over their goods and offices to their sons and rode away over the Sarn Ford and were not seen again in the Shire.”
It appears from this that both their wives had already died. It also tells us that Merry had at least one son.
‘Rosie really enjoyed her trip to Minas Tirith, for all she was glad to get home. Knowing he was born there was what set Tom off on his wanderings, I reckon. The best thing for me was hearing Frodo’s name on everyone’s lips, and being there for the celebrations on his birthday. That was something to see, quite a party.’
Pippin nodded. ‘Yes, I’ve been there for the Yavannië feast - for Cormarë, the Ringday, as well, since it was a leap year. It was a huge festival.
The Return of the King, Appendix B: 1442 Master Samwise and his wife and Elanor ride to Gondor and stay there for a year.
The Return of the King, Appendix C: The Longfather Tree of Master Samwise shows that his youngest son, Tom, was born in 1442
The Return of the King, Appendix D: “But in honour of Frodo Yavannië 30. which corresponded with former September 22, his birthday, was made a festival, and the leap-year was provided by doubling this feast, called Cormarë or Ringday”.
Rosie’s burial was a quiet family affair and not delayed - since it was a hot Lithe holiday
The Return of the King, Appendix B: 1482 Death of Mistress Rose, wife of Samwise, on Mid-year’s Day.
Sam softly sang words made by Bilbo. His two companions recognised the old walking song and added their voices.
The first three verses of the song appear in The Fellowship of the Ring, Three is Company.
Merry and Pippin fell silent, but Sam sang on, his voice still strong, for all that it quavered with age.
The last verse is from The Return of the King, The Grey Havens.
‘Don’t be daft, Tom. Your da must have been, what? About our age when Frodo Baggins left?’
Assuming Sam is born in April 1380 (see notes for chapter 11), he is 41 years old when Frodo leaves. Tom is born in 1442, so he is 39 or 40 (depending when his birthday is) in 1482 when Rose dies. I have made the OC, Barard, the youngest of Pippin’s children and born in 1445. For the record, in All That I Had Pippin and Diamond have seven children. Faramir (1430), Bergil (1436) - his name is possibly influenced by hearing Bergil of Gondor has called his eldest son Pippin (see chapter 32), Hildimir (1438), Pearl and Ruby (1440), Emerald (1443) and Barard (1445).
Leaving Bag End on his love’s birthday seemed a fitting start to the journey
The Return of the King, Appendix B: 1482 On September 22 Master Samwise rides out from Bag End.
Sam suspected that the children had been watching his progress across the low-lying Weald of the Westmarch, from the vantage point of the Tower Hills.
Weald: (n) (pronounced: weeld) an area of open or forested country.
Thirty miles south of London and half way to the South coast of England lies an area of outstanding natural beauty combined with a fascinating history called the Weald. This was, to the Saxons of 900AD, part of Andredesweald (the forest of Andred), that stretched from the marshes of Kent to the New Forest in Hampshire - 120 miles long and 30 miles wide.
Sam stayed a week with his lovely Elanor. After supper on the last evening, the pair of them retired to Fastred’s study, and Sam handed over the Red Book.
The Return of the King, Appendix B: 1482 He comes to the Tower Hills, and is last seen by Elanor, to whom he gives the Red Book, afterwards kept by the Fairbairns.
Assuming it once again took Sam a week to travel to the Tower Hills and on to the Havens, his week long stay with Elanor means I have made his departure date October the 6th, the day it was "dark in the dell under Weathertop."