Chapter Three
Tobold Hornblower
If there is one thing that we hobbits enjoy more than anything, it is a pipe of good quality weed. It seems that every hobbit is born with a pipe in their hand, and dies with it too. However, there was once a time when such a luxury was unheard of. In fact, when put into context of Shire history in its entirety, pipe-weed is a relatively recent discovery that we owe to one fellow. His name is well-known by all, but the hobbit himself and his life is somewhat a mystery. He is, of course, Tobold Hornblower.
Tobold was not from a well-to-do family. He was a Hornblower, who at the time were known as a farming family in the Southfarthing – particularly in Longbottom. It is likely that this is where Tobold was born, and spent most of his life. Who his parents were is unknown, as are his children (if he had any). In my time I have met many pipe-weed farmers who claim Tobold as their ancestor, but are seemingly unable to provide any genealogical proof of that. What is known is that he was a farmer and gardener, well respected in both throughout the Southfarthing.
What Tobold is remembered for is his cultivation of pipe-weed, which had not yet been embraced by hobbits. The date for this is recorded as 1070, though it is not known exactly how old Tobold was at the time – but he was likely relatively old, hence ‘Old Toby’. Indeed, in that time Tobold was praised as a pioneer and his fortunes began to rise as more and more hobbits took up smoking – which soon became a habit and luxury of a majority of the population. The formerly small village of Longbottom soon began to thrive with many farmers ceasing to grow traditional crops, and instead grew pipe-weed. The production of this crop rose dramatically in a way that nothing had in that land before. Woodworkers began to make pipes more than they did chairs – some plain and some ornate. In all, Tobold’s cultivation of pipe-weed was revolutionary.
But some scholars believe that pipe-weed and the art of smoking existed long before the day of Tobold, and that the plant had originated somewhere in the far west, during ancient times. It is believed that Tobold did not himself invent pipe-weed, but merely introduced it. A belief among the Brandybucks is that Tobold once paid a visit to the village of Bree, to the east of the Shire. Here he learned of the properties of the plant, and how it could be used for smoking. So when he returned to his country, he introduced it to the land and there it grew for the first time. Indeed, such a belief can be backed up by the fact that those in Bree claim that it was they who first used the plant for smoking. Therefore, this seems like the most likely origin of pipe-weed.
In honour of Tobold, several brands of pipe-weed today are named after him. Tobold was commonly known as ‘Old Toby’ during his later life (and after his death) and so one brand is called exactly that – Old Toby. Another example of this is Longbottom Leaf, another popular brand, which is named after the village where Tobold first cultivated the plant. The brand of Old Toby, considered by many to be the finest of pipe-weed, is said to be the same as the weed that was first cultivated by Tobold. Whether or not this is true is disputed among growers.
Whilst Tobold was not a ‘hero’, he was certainly a very important hobbit. For it was he who introduced something that is great in value to the culture of our country, and is enjoyed by rich and poor alike. Today, a hobbit without a pipe is much like a ship without sails. The art of smoking in the Shire has now existed for well over three hundred years, and is something that both we and our ancestors share.
