The following is a brief history of the Haymarket family, so it is about BH's ancestors. It is mostly taken from an article penned by BH and published in Mathoms Monthly (The Journal of the Mathom Society of Michel Delving); much of it is abbreviated from the considerably longer text “A Haymarket Family History” also written by BH and held at the Mathom House.
The Haymarket name originates from a small West Farthing village thus called. First recorded mention of the village by that name is 723 SR, but it is likely that the development of the village goes back at least another two hundred years.
Initial Shire settlement focussed on the pastureland of the Downs. The broad marshy valley of The Water was, at that stage, of little use for farming; and settlements in the area were fishing villages positioned for water access. By 500 SR the swamps were substantially drained in the mid-valley area (between Rushock Bog and The Marish) and the pattern of current agricultural settlement had begun to develop.
The marshy soils proved adept for arable production, and village of Haymarket was in the midst of a good grass growing region: as a result it became the main local centre for hay sale and distribution; and was probably the most important such centre in the whole of The Shire. The name Haymarket thus arose and the previous name of the settlement was forgotten.
The prime family of the area owned the land where the market was situated and took their name from it; and considered themselves very grand. There was a period, during the 800's and 900's SR, when the Haymarkets rivalled the Tooks and Brandybucks and other great names in the Shire. They certainly considered themselves the grandest family in the West Farthing, but this was never an undisputed title.
The importance of the market from which they gained their wealth had declined by 1000 SR. This was for a number of reasons. Development of soil and techniques had by now improved hay quality throughout the Shire; and while Haymarket-hay kept its reputation long after it had lost any true superiority, the hay trade was no longer significant because any farmer could produce good hay with sufficient effort and improvements.
The market did develop a trade in a much wider range of goods, thus remaining an important mart for some time. However, the family retained strong control over the market: regulating it heavily, feeing the traders who used it, and barring some from operating there. Initially this generated strong income, the market being smaller than its rivals but more exclusive; but over time this meant a narrower range of goods was traded there making it less relevant.
In the end, simple geography was the undoing of Haymarket; although it is probably true that wiser decisions by the family would have lessened the rapidity of the decline, and meant that Haymarket would still be a large village with a significant market today. Whereas now it is a very small village associated with the large family farm. The only traces of the old market are a few small ruinous structures in the market-field, surrounded by grazing cattle.
Haymarket's early advantage was that it at was the centre of the best agricultural area in the Shire, not only for hay but for many other crops as well. With the improvement in techniques the quality gap was lessened; and with the development of more far-flung areas, especially west of the White Downs and up in the North Farthing, there became other agricultural centres that rivalled its production. Michel Delving, and Hobbiton-Bywater were better positioned to take advantage of these developments and thus became the premier markets that they are today.
Hobbiton-Bywater has a commanding central position, with good access in all directions. Nor should we forget its locus at the confluence of the Water and the Bindbole Stream: the development of good roads has enabled the hobbits of the Shire to lose their ancestral connection to boats, but at this earlier stage river rafts were still used for goods transport. Michel Delving was always important, having grown from those very early settlements in the downlands; and remained so because of the minerals found in the area; but the development of new agricultural areas further west for which it was the main distribution centre cemented its position as one of the primary markets of the Shire.
Curiously enough, while it was the position of Haymarket away from the Water that initiated its decline, it was the development of proper roads that finished it off completely. The best route between Michel Delving and Hobbiton-Bywater goes through Waymeet, not Haymarket; and once there was a road at Waymeet, Haymarket became completely ignored.
The Haymarket family continues at their ancestral seat, and the substantial family farm persists under the apparent command of the Hayreeve (Warden of the Haymarket, the titular head of the family). But there are so many branches of the family (many no longer bearing the Haymarket name) with rights and titles to land and stock, that his actual direct control over the holdings is minimal. In truth, much the same situation applies at Brandy Hall and Tuckborough.
The Haymarket name is surprisingly not widespread. There are some Haymarkets found in the furthers of the North and South Farthings, but it is believed that these are not connected with the West Farthing Haymarkets and no study of them is made here. The strong association of the Haymarket name with the Hayreeve and the running of the market meant that most branches of the family took a different name when they moved away from the main house at Rifsty Manor. Indeed, the hamlet that remains at Haymarket is now usually known as Rifsty, taken from the name of the great house there.
There remains one group of outlying Haymarkets. These originated from a family quarrel in 1083 SR (a time when the Haymarkets still thought themselves grand, but the rest of the Shire had forgotten about them). The twin brothers Hamgar and Halbert disagreed over the running of the farm (and what little was left of the market) and argued their inheritance in the courts at Michel Delving and Hobbiton for many years (one lodged his writ at Michel Delving, the other at Hobbiton: they couldn't even agree about that) and in the end result there could be no determination as to which was the pre-born (the mother died in childbirth, and the elderly midwife soon after, so positive identification was impossible).
In the end, Halbert got the Reeveship, but Hamgar was awarded substantial compensation. He then left Rifsty and never returned: he and his heirs considering themselves the true heirs of Haymarket to this day. Hamgar built a large house and holding at Highgarth: somewhat west of Rifsty, on the skirts of the White Downs, not too far from Little Delving. A peculiarity of the local dialect, along with analogy from the name Haymarket, has led to this ever afterwards being called Haygarth.
Belladonna Haymarket is a scion of this house, born at Haygarth not Rifsty. Her father, Hereward Haymarket, very much considered himself the proper heir to the Hayreeveship. She herself, being of the distaff side of the family, has no claim to that title: even though she is his eldest child. The entailment of the Hayreeveship was laid down in early Shire law, and thus cannot properly pass to a female heir. Her brother Hildebrand Haymarket is therefore the proper heir in exile (and if you speak to him on the matter he will tell you about it, at great length).
Belladonna did however inherit Haygarth, the entailment of which is governed by a much later section of inheritance law. She has subsequently passed the title of Haygarth to her younger sisters, in order to further her own independence.
Note:
The settlement of the Haymarket inheritance was initially delayed ten years by an argument between the courts as to jurisdiction. And indeed, the situation as it stands to this day is only an interim settlement. No determination could be made as to primogeniture, the claim of the Haygarth side of the family was therefore never voided by the court: they are merely barred from taking possession of Rifsty or Haymarket without first presenting fresh evidence as to the birth order of the twins and receiving a court settlement in their favour.
