The Encyclopedia of Arda - an interactive guide to the world of J.R.R. Tolkien
Dates
The first Warden, Fastred of Greenholm, was appointed in IV 41, and the title was passed down to his descendants through the Fourth Age
Location
The Westmarch lay westward of the Shire, between the Far Downs and the Tower Hills
Origins
The Westmarch was added to the Shire in IV 31, and its first Warden was appointed ten years later
Race
Culture
Settled by Shire-hobbits
Family
Settlements
The seat of the Wardens was at Undertowers on the Tower Hills
Important peaks
The Westmarch was bordered by the Far Downs in the east and the Tower Hills in the west
Meaning
Westmarch means 'western borderland'
Title of

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  • Updated 20 January 2023
  • This entry is complete

Warden of Westmarch

The hereditary title of the Fairbairns of the Tower Hills

Fastred of
Greenholm

Elanor
Gamgee

Elfstan
Fairbairn

Fíriel
At least one
other daughter
Further generations of
Wardens of
Westmarch

The first generations of the Wardens of Westmarch. Those who held the title of Warden are highlighted in bold text.

The Westmarch, the land between the Tower Hills and the Far Downs, was added to the Shire some years after the War of the Ring. Fastred of Greenholm was appointed as Warden by Thain Peregrin in IV 41, ten years after the Westmarch was founded. The title was hereditary, passed by Fastred to his son Elfstan Fairbairn, and associated from then on with the Fairbairns of the Towers.

I Fastred
of Greenholm
From IV 41
At the request of Mayor Sam Gamgee, Thain Peregrin appointed Fastred of Greenholm as the first Warden of the newly settled Westmarch of the Shire. There he established Undertowers in the Tower Hills, and dwelt there with his wife, Sam Gamgee's daughter Elanor.
II Elfstan Fairbairn Fastred was succeeded as Warden by his son Elfstan, who took his personal surname of Fairbairn (or 'fair child') as the name of his family. Elfstan thus founded the family that became known as the Fairbairns of Undertowers, hereditary Wardens of Westmarch and one of the most important families of the Shire-hobbits. Elfstan was himself succeeded by his son, and the Wardens continued to dwell at Undertowers for many generations afterward.

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About this entry:

  • Updated 20 January 2023
  • This entry is complete

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