Faramir's age.

[Faramir Jones]

Originally Posted by William Cloud Hicklin

Oh- as to "last Ruling Steward:- in "The Steward and the King," Faramir offers Aragorn his white rod and says "the last Steward of Gondor begs leave to surrender his office," and A. gives it back saying "that office is not ended" etc etc.

I would suggest that Faramir was, albeit briefly, the last Ruling Steward for six weeks from Denethor's death until Elessar's coronation, and only under a Dol Amroth regency for three days; and that that rule was more than notional after the Captains marched to Mordor, even if he still was staying in the HofH. After all, somebody had to be in charge, and it wasn't Imrahil; and I would venture that during that period March 18 - May 1 the white banner flew from the Tower.

You're right, William. In an early draft of Appendix A of The Lord of the Rings, which did not make it into the published version, Faramir is twice called ‘the last Ruling Steward’. (J.R.R.Tolkien, The History of Middle Earth: 12. The Peoples of Middle Earth, (London: HarperCollins Publishers, 1997), pp. 206-207.

Even in the text of the published version of LotR, it's obvious that Faramir was the last Ruling Steward. In ‘The Steward and the King’, the Warden told Éowyn, ‘the Lord Faramir is by right the Steward of the City’. (LotR, Book 6, Chapter V, p. 938) Later, Faramir being healed, ‘took upon him his authority and the Stewardship, although it was only for a little while, and his duty was to prepare for one who should replace him’. (Ibid., p. 942) (My emphasis) On the morning of 1st May, the day of King Elessar’s coronation, the standard of the Stewards ‘was raised over Gondor for the last time'. (Ibid., p. 944)