Quote:
Originally Posted by William Cloud Hicklin
I think, at least at the time of the illustration, he viewed Mr B Baggins Esq as enjoying the material lifestyle of an English country gentleman of, say, William and Mary's time. Such a man would very likely have had clocks on the wall and the mantle, and a barometer beside the door to check the weather before going out; I doubt T realized that the one depicted was 'anachronistic.'
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I agree, and think this is very important. The Shire is not purely Middle-earth material, it's a mix of Middle-earth and England, and certain elements can only be integrated into the rest of Middle-earth so much.
But it is still interesting to explain clocks and barometers in the Shire bypassing that argument, even though it's most likely the truest. Can we explain them purely in Middle-earth terms? The hypothesis of a dwarven invention was already addressed. I doubt many hobbits would invite Dwarven constructions into their daily lives with open arms - maybe toys, but not things that quite literally dictate your life. Perhaps Bilbo was unique in having a clock and barometer in his house, given his friendship and fascination with Dwarves. Or, if clocks were a common thing among hobbits, I wonder if they themselves made them. Is it possible to make a clock like that with mostly wooden pieces? Springs must be metal, but can the rest be wood? I don't think hobbits were that much into metal shaping to make gears and such, but I can see them tinkering around with wood as a hobby or something.