An old Hobbit who wore the feathered cap of the Shirriffs of the Shire. In happier times, he had watched the Hay Gate, the gate at the northern entrance to Buckland at the end of the High Hay. It was from this duty that he took his name: a hayward is an old term for a guardian of hedges and fences.
When Lotho Sackville-Baggins took over the Shire during the War of the Ring, defences were built to block the Brandywine Bridge itself, preventing entry into the Shire from the east. Hob was put on duty here, and was guarding the Bridge when Frodo and the Travellers returned. He was known to Merry Brandybuck, and it was through Hob that the four companions learned of the dreadful changes that had taken place in the Shire while they had been away.
Notes
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Hob's surname Hayward exactly describes his profession as a gate guard on the High Hay, and so it is seems at least as likely to be personal description as a family name. Its role is similar to that of surnames like 'Roper' or 'Gardner' in the Gamgee family tree, in which a profession gradually gave rise to a family surname. The fact that Hob Hayward actually was a 'hayward' suggests either that he represented the beginning of such a new family name, or perhaps that there was already a tradition within his family of guarding Buckland's Hay Gate.
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- Updated 27 May 2023
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