Three Farthing Stone

In T.A. 1640, the Three-Farthing Stone was planted southeast of Hobbiton and blessed by legates of the Lady Elindiel and Prince Minastir, Argeleb's younger son and the new Lord Protector.The Three-farthing stone marked the surveying of fixed boundaries in the central Shire.When Aranarth took the title of first Chieftain of the Rangers of the North, in a quiet , lithe-noted ceremony at the Three-Farthing Stone, he ceded his lordship of the Pheriannath Quenarim to its surviving leaders, promising to return someday when he might better deserve the title of King.The stone retained its magical capabilities in the later era. The low hill and the springs at its base becamere the center of a small park land called Wyerding Wood, four miles in circumference, maintained by Stonemeet village at its eastern edge. Locals took timber from the wood regularly, but allowed it to keep its wild flavor ; only the carefully manicured paths leading wanderers to the stone revealed how well planned this forest was. In spite of its location in the midst of Hobbit farmlands, the stone was often visited by Elvish travelers. Local Elf-friends, like Bilbo or Frodo Baggins, had most of their meetings with the Fair Folk here. Such encounters could be prearranged by parties involved or triggered by a message left quietly at door-step while residents slept.