Rushey
Rushey was a small village of the Marish, in the Eastfarthing of the Shire. The Causeway ran through the village, connecting it to the villages of Stock to the north and Deephallow to the south.[1] Between Rushey and Stock was the lane to Farmer Maggot's place, and five miles north of that was the road to the Bucklebury Ferry.[2]
Etymology
The name means "Rush-isle". David Salo has suggested an Old Hobbitish etymology from *Ryscieg.[3] -ey or -y in English place-names has the sense "small island", as seen in Girdley.[4]
It was called so as "a 'hard' among the fens of the Marish"[4] forming an isolated "island" in the midst of the soggy ground; this nomenclature is also seen in the Isle of Ely.[3]
The name is spelled as "Rushy" on A Part of the Shire.[1][3]
References
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 J.R.R. Tolkien, The Lord of the Rings, The Fellowship of the Ring, "A Part of the Shire" map
- ↑ J.R.R. Tolkien, The Lord of the Rings, The Fellowship of the Ring, "A Short Cut to Mushrooms"
- ↑ 3.0 3.1 3.2 David Salo, "Hobbitish Place-names" dated 23 November 1998, Elfling (accessed 19 April 2024)
- ↑ 4.0 4.1 J.R.R. Tolkien, "Nomenclature of The Lord of the Rings" in Wayne G. Hammond and Christina Scull (eds), The Lord of the Rings: A Reader's Companion, p. 775
