Bombadil's reference to Farmer Maggot

[Child of the 7th Age]

Take a look at The Return of the Shadow (vol. 6 of HoMe) for the following references to Farmer Maggot. Tolkien says this in an early outline of the section on Bombadil:

p. 117 -- ...Make Maggot not a hobbit , but some other kind of creature--not dwarf, but akin to Tom Bombadil....

Later on the page we see the following reference from another early set of notes.

Relation of Tom Bombadil to Farmer Maggot (Maggot not a hobbit?)

Christopher Tolkien agan quotes an earlier draft of the chapter which makes reference to this same idea.

After the reference to Farmer Maggot, from whom Tom Bombadil got his knowledge of the Shire and whom he 'seemed to regard as a person of more importance than they i.e., the hobbits) had fancied,' F.R. p. 143, this text adds: 'We are kinsfolk, he and I. In a way of speaking: distantly and far back, but near enough for friendship." (in the orginal draft, 'We are akin, he said, distantly, very distantly, but near enough to count')

In footnote 7 on page 124, Christopher Tolkien notes that the original quotation by Frodo is emended in this way:

Frodo's original words on Maggot--'He lives in a house.

Additions to Frodo's words: 'He is not a hobbit--not a pure hobbit anyway....

Similarly, the description of Maggot changes from him having "a large round hobbit face" to him having a "a large round fair-framed face."

It seems clear then that, at one time, JRRT considered making Maggot a creature akin to Bombadil, but then went back and edited out most of those references in the later draft of the book.

But there are enough cryptic allusions left in the text to suggest that Maggot was indeed unusual for a hobbit. See Merry's remark that Farmer Maggot used to venture into the Old Forest at one time, and knew a thing or two outside the Shire (FR p. 113).