lathspell, nice post I'd like to point out the differences between Treebeard being referred to as the Eldest, and Tom B. being referred to as such.
Quote:
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Eldest was the courtesy title of Treebeard as the oldest surviving Ent. The Ents claimed to be the oldest 'speaking people' after the Elves {illegible} until taught the art of speech by the Elves...They were therefore placed after the dwarves in the Old List...since Dwarves had the power of speech from their awaking.~Lord of the Rings Companion, Letter dated 1968
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While I think Bombadil being called the
'Eldest' means slightly different (as in he truly
is the oldest person on Middle-earth), as he is also referred to as
'fatherless.'