The Encyclopedia of Arda - Old Gammidgy (original) (raw)
The nickname that gave rise to Sam Gamgee’s family name
A nickname acquired by Hob Gammidge of Tighfield, and part of the origin of the family name Gamgee. Hob's father, Wiseman, had left the traditional family village of Gamwich to settle in Tighfield, and there he became known, from the place of his origin, as Wiseman Gamwich. That name was passed on to his son Hob, but became corrupted to Gammidge, and in Hob Gammidge's older years the name was altered once again when he acquired the nickname of 'Old Gammidgy'.
Hob Gammidge and his wife Rowan had a son named Hobson, who worked as a rope-maker. Hobson gained a name from his profession and from a version of his father's nickname: Roper Gamgee, which represented the first appearance in history of the name Gamgee. It was passed down to Old Gammidgy's grandchildren, including Hamfast Gamgee the Gaffer, and so to Hamfast's own son (Old Gammidgy's great-grandson) Samwise Gamgee of the Company of the Ring.
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- Updated 17 January 2023
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