Longbottom

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Matěj Čadil - Longbottom

Longbottom was a village or town in the Southfarthing of the Shire.[1] It was the home of some of the Hornblowers. The village and its surroundings were sheltered from the elements, probably by the valley's sides.

In T.A. 2670 (1070 by the Shire-reckoning), a certain Tobold Hornblower introduced a new herb there.[2] The valley's sheltered aspect, and the relatively warm climate of the Southfarthing, made the region around Longbottom ideal for growing this new plant, pipe-weed, which rapidly became the centre of a thriving industry. Longbottom Leaf remained one of the most famous varieties of the weed.

Etymology

The element bottom is frequent in English place-names (and their surnames like Ramsbottom); it means "valley", especially its head or inner end.[3]

David Salo suggests that it represents a possible Old Hobbitish Langbotm meaning "Long Valley".[4]

References