> IIRC [Hobbits] conquered the Shire from the Orcs I though Hobbits were coming from the East of Middle Earth (I think Smeagol/Gollum was a part of a Hobbit co

> IIRC [Hobbits] conquered the Shire from the Orcs I though Hobbits were coming from the East of Middle Earth (I think Smeagol/Gollum was a part of a Hobbit community that hadn't migrated and so lived East of the mountains) and were granted the Shire by a king of Arnor, though they still had to fight orcs while there