Far Easton

Village
Far Easton
General Information
Type	Village
Description	Easternmost "village of people" related to the villagers of Wootton Major
People and History
Inhabitants	Men

Far Easton was the easternmost "village of people" related to the villagers of Wootton Major. Though the people of Wootton Major had many "eastern customers", such people were resented when they came and were expected to act normal. When Smith Smithson became a smith like his father, his skill became very "well known in his country". By the time his father passed away, Smith was the best in the craft "between Far Easton and the Westwood".

Background

In an essay entitled "Smith of Wootton Major", J.R.R. Tolkien explained that the expression "From Far Easton to Westwood" represents the "bounds of the world to the villagers" of Wootton Major. He also explains that if Wootton Major lost connection to Faery, then not even trade with "eastern customers" would save its prosperity. In an essay on Literary Hub, John Garth noted that the way that Tolkien used the expression "from Far Easton to the Westwood" is a pun "on eastern and westward".

Inspiration

In an article for Leaves from the Tree: J.R.R. Tolkien's Shorter Fiction in 1991, Alex Lewis noted that "Far Easton and Westwood are names that could have come from the Midlands" of England. In the United Kingdom there are three Eastons: One is a council ward within the city of Bristol. In Essex there are two – "Little Easton", a village that dates to the twelfth century, and "Great Easton", a village one mile north of Little Easton.