BERNO BOFFIN
1046-1128
The first Boffin of Barleywick was Berno, a hobbit who rose from relative obscurity to the mastery of a great family and estate. As a result of his humble birth, records concerning Berno’s early life are unfortunately lacking in substance. But through dedicated research, I have been able to establish an account of his life.
Berno was born in the year 1046, the son of Bullo Boffin and Sorrel Chubb. His birthplace was the Yale in the Eastfarthing, the ancestral and traditional home of the Boffin family. He was the first of Bullo and Sorrel’s children, and his sister Magnolia was born four years later in 1050. Records suggest that Berno’s family were not wealthy, but were not considered poor either. Bullo was an honest brewer, operating a small business that served the local area. His own father, Drupo, was a renowned drunk and is believed to have died as a result of excessive consumption of alcohol. It certainly seems strange for Bullo to have been a brewer, given the circumstances of his father’s death. Quite unusually, Berno did not follow in his father’s footsteps in his profession. He made his own way in the world by becoming a burrower– an excavator of holes and smials. Berno’s early career seems to be rather modest, with him only tunnelling the smallest and most basic of holes. But soon enough his experience in the craft allowed him to excavate the most elegant smials – the construction of which was popular at this time. Considered quite the artisan, he would be remembered as Berno the Burrower.
It would seem that Berno felt a certain degree of envy when burrowing such opulent networks of underground homes. He had made it his life’s work to provide his wealthy clients with the most lavish living spaces, whilst his own home seemed rather meagre in comparison. What he built could never be his, which frustrated him greatly. But he did not allow this to make him bitter, but instead allowed it to fuel his own ambition. He wanted a smial of his own, and for this he would need money. It was to the wealthy investor, Roladin Took who he went to. Roladin was a kinsman of the Thain, and seems to have been in charge of his finances. As a result he had become wealthy and respectable in his own right. His many investments were placed in the farmland of the Southfarthing, which was renowned even then for its agriculture. The yield of crops also yielded coin for him. When Berno approached him at some point in the 1080s, it seems that Roladin turned him away. He saw little or no profit in investing in Berno’s project, which seemed to be more of a dream than a plausible business venture.
Although jilted by Roladin, Berno had caught the eye of his daughter Petunia (1049-1123). Although expected to marry a wealthy and respectable bachelor, it seems that Petunia had fallen in love with this humble artisan. She was determined to marry him, and told her father as much. Roladin Took, famous for his shrewd financial capabilities, was also well-known to love his daughter above all else. He wanted her to live both comfortably and happy. If she was to marry Berno, then he would make a gentlehobbit of him. It is for that reason that Roladin financed Berno’s project. As per Roladin’s request, Berno and Petunia were married in 1085 before any burrowing could begin.
Unlike the family of his new wife, the Tooks of Tuckborough, the Boffins were never truly associated with a single township or region. Then, as now, Boffins could be found living in all four farthings. The Yale, a lowland region in the Eastfarthing and ancestral home of his ancestors, seemingly held no appeal for Berno. He had been born there as a distant, forgotten cousin of the more prominent members of the Boffins of Yale. Berno looked instead to the Southfarthing, most likely on the word of Petunia or his new good-father, who already had considerable interests there. The climate in the Southfarthing, being warmer than the rest of the Shire, was considered ideal for farming. Many weeks went by as the master-burrower surveyed potential sites for his excavation. Eventually, however, he came upon the small village of Barleywick, south on the road from Waymeet. The etymology of the village is indicative of what Berno would have looked upon: farmland of barley. The large chalk mound in the centre of the village, thereafter known as Berno's Hill, was considered suitable for burrowing. Soon enough, Berno was granted permission to begin his excavation in the village by Thain Isengrim the Second (1020-1122), no doubt in part to Roladin's influence. Burrowing begin in mid-1086 and was completed in the later months of 1087. Contrary to local legend, Berno almost certainly did not excavate the smial himself and was likely assisted by a number of other artisans. Upon completion, the smial was named 'Boffin's Burrow' by Petunia, who had arrived from her father's home in Tuckborough.
Twelve years after the completion of Boffin’s Burrow, Berno and Petunia’s first child was born – Bordo Boffin. Three years later Petunia gave birth to a second son, Bosso (1102-1193). It is described as a happy and loving family, both wealthy and respectable by this time. Roladin’s death had left Petunia with an enormous inheritance, allowing the new Boffins of Barleywick to be counted among the most well-to-do families of the Shire.
Although we know very little about Berno’s life, it has often been claimed that he had a scruffy beard – the likes of which is almost unseen among hobbits, but not completely unheard of. He is said to have been of strong Stoorish blood, which might explain such facial hair. Although now established as a gentlehobbit, Berno was not one to indulge in the luxuries and indulgences that often come with such wealth and status. He continued his passion as a burrower, tunnelling many new holes in the village for folk to live comfortably in. But in later life, much of his time was occupied by his labours upon the barley fields surrounding his family home, which were eventually absorbed into his estate.
Petunia died in 1123, which is said to have left Berno in depression. He himself passed away peacefully in 1128, at the age of eighty two. He died knowing that his life’s work and legacy was safe in the hands of his son and heir Bordo.
