Bar Morthil

Bar Morthil was a royal estate situated on the very tip of Andrast. It was the westernmost habitation in all of Gondor. At times the kings withdrew here for solitude or meditation, far from the courts of Osgiliath or Minas Anor. The estate consisted of a single manor house which overlooked the sea-cliffs of Ras Morthil. When not in use by the king, Bar Morthil was cared for by a warden, who resided in the manor year round with an entourage of servants. Since the cliffs of Ras Morthil and Rast Hanadh were often several hundred feet in height and without any haven or landing, Bar Morthil could only be reached by land (usually by following the Men Falas two days ride west from the outflow of the Nevedui—which was the nearest safe haven—or from Tharagrondost). The inhabitants of Bar Morthil were supported by the meager agriculture and husbandry of the Dunir of Larkanen who, in return, were given protection from the Corsairs by the garrison of Tharagrondost.

Bar Morthil was founded by Elendil the Talls sons in S.A. 3320 as a memorial to lost Westernesse. The westward-facing promontory on which the manor was built was considered to be a hallowed place, because it offered the observer the most westerly vantage-point for recalling the Land of Gift and the Meneltarma, divine gifts lost because of the folly and pride of the Dúnedain, and the kings would often go to Bar Morthil to observe the standing silence.

As a holy place, Bar Morthil was maintained throughout the Third Age, though it fell to the care of the Lord of Tharagrondost in T.A. 2050,when Mardil Voronwë the Steward completed the transformation of Gondor into a feudal realm. Occasionally the Ruling Stewards would venture to the manor for solitude. Aragorn Elessar was the first king oft the reunited Realms-in-Exile to visit Bar Morthil, but he did not revive this practice until the reordering of his realm had been completed.