A troop of Shirriffs formed during the troubled times in the Shire under the rule of Saruman. The troop was based in the Shirriff-house at Frogmorton on the East Road. It was the First Eastfarthing Troop that attempted to arrest Frodo and the Travellers on their journey to Bag End. The troop consisted of a large band of Hobbits carrying staves, with each wearing the traditional Shirriff's feather in their caps.
We're told little of the organisation of the expanded Shirriff service during this time, other than the fact that was it was established by the self-appointed Chief Shirriff, Lotho Sackville-Baggins. The name 'First Eastfarthing Troop' does give us some clues, however. It would seem to imply that there was at least one troop for each of the four farthings of the Shire, and the fact that it was the 'first' such troop suggests that there must have been more than one troop per farthing, at least in the populous Eastfarthing.
Notes
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Though the fate of the First Eastfarthing Troop is not specified, we do know that Frodo, in a his brief role as Deputy Mayor, reduced the Shirriffs back to their former small numbers. This strongly implies that the Troop would have been disbanded in late III 3019 or perhaps early III 3020.
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- Updated 13 May 2020
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