Bree-land was a small inhabited region around Bree-hill, about forty miles east of the Shire, which contained a few settlements:
- Bree was under and on the western slopes of Bree-hill. It was the chief village of the area with the famous Prancing Pony Inn and was populated by Men and Hobbits. The East Road ran through Bree.
- Staddle on the south-eastern slopes of Bree-hill was populated by Men and Hobbits. Pipe-weed grew well on the south-slopes of the hill and was smoked by Bree-hobbits. Most of the Hobbits of Bree-land lived in Staddle in hobbit-holes but there were also houses for Men in Staddle. It was the only of the villages (other than Bree itself) visible from the East Road and was located north of the East Road.
- Combe was located north of the East Road in a deep valley a little further eastward from Staddle.
Maps
The origins of its inhabitants are obscure, but apparently they were Pre-Númenóreans, related to the Dunlendings, who had moved far to the North during the Dark Years, and the Bree-landers managed to survive through the violent history of Middle-earth until they were absorbed into Arnor. It was also the only place in Middle-earth where Men lived with Hobbits on a daily basis: the population of the Bree-land had become a mix of Men and Hobbits, who had migrated from Angmar around T.A. 1300. The ratio varied between each of the four townships of the Bree-land.
In any case, they were still thriving in Bree long after Arnor had collapsed and the memory of fallen kings faded into the grass. The now independent land enjoyed the (unknowing) protection of the Rangers of the North. After the War of the Ring, Bree-land became part of the Reunited Kingdom.