gutfreund%umass-cs@UDel-Relay@sri-unix.UUCP (08/10/83)
From: Steven Gutfreund <gutfreund%umass-cs@UDel-Relay> I once heard an interview with one of JRRT's students from oxford. On it he said that he had found that most of the Hobbit family names (Proudfeet, Hornblowers, Baggins, Gamgee, etc.) were inspired by Kentucky names that JRRT came across in a trip to that area. - steve gutfreund
urban@trwspp.UUCP (08/16/83)
Well, the name "Gamgee", at least, has a known derivation; Tolkien derived it from something called Gamgee-cotton (invented by one S. Gamgee) which was/is apparently some type of surgical cotton. Believe this is in Carpenter's biography of JRRT and probably also in the "Letters". Mike
twt@uicsl.UUCP (08/29/83)
#R:sri-arpa:-404800:uicsl:10700028:000:53 uicsl!twt Aug 28 22:16:00 1983 Could that be why Sam's wife's name is Rose COTTON?