The Will of Bilbo Baggins

[Chrysophylax Dives]

Bilbo (son of Bungo son of Mungo son of Inigo) Baggins hereinafter called the testator, now departing being the rightful owner of all properties and goods hereinafter named hereby devises, makes over, and bequeathes the property and messuage or dwelling-hole known as Bag-End Underhill near Hobbiton with all lands thereto belonging and annexed to his cousin and adopted heir Bingo (son of Drogo son of Togo son of Bingo son of Inigo) Baggins hereinafter called the heir, for him to have hold possess occupy let on lease sell or otherwise dispose of at his pleasure as from midnight of the twenty-second day of September in the one hundred and eleventh or eleventy-first year of the aforesaid Bilbo Baggins. Moreoverthe aforesaid testator devises and bequeathes to the aforesaid heir all monies in gold silver copper brass or tin and all trinkets, armours, weapons, uncoined metals, gems, jewels, or precious stones and all furniture appurtenances goods perishable or imperishable and chattels movable and immovable belonging to the testator and part of the said hole and residence of Bag-end or of the lands thereto annexed, save only such goods or movable chattels as are contained in the subjoined schedule which are selected and directed as parting gifts to the friends of the testator and which the heir shall dispatch deliver or hand over according to his convenience. The testator hereby relinquishes all rights or claims to all these properties lands monies goods or chattels and wishes all his friends farewell.
Signed Bilbo Baggins.


Otho, who was a lawyer, read this document carefully, and snorted. It was apparently correct and incontestable, according to the legal notions of hobbits. “Foiled again!” he said to his wife.. .’

Return of the Shadow, pp. 247-248

[Chrysophylax Dives]

Bilbo's will was actually composed (by Tolkien) after that of Bingo-Bolger Baggins. The explanation for this being that the first time he wrote the story from Bag-end to Rivendell, not only was the Ring-bearer named Bingo but it is Bingo who hosts the long-expected party, Bilbo having disappeared years before. (His party joke is the key to Bingo's prankster character - he plays a practical joke on Farmer Maggot later, and in this original tale Bombadil's seeing him with the Ring on and the Ring slipping on his finger look different, with the story gradually revealing the joke to be on Bingo, so to speak.)

Bingo Bolger-Baggins Esqre. departing hereby devises delivers and makes over by free gift the desirable property and messuage or dwelling-hole known as Bag-end Underhill with all lands thereto belonging and annexed to Otho Sackville-Baggins Esqre. and his wife Lobelia for them jointly to have hold possess occupy let on lease or otherwise dispose of at their pleasure as from September the twenty fourth in the seventy second year of the aforesaid Bingo Bolger-Baggins and the one hundred and forty fourth year of Bilbo Baggins who as former rightful owners hereby relinquish all claims to the above said property as from the date aforesaid.

The notice was signed Bingo Bolger-Baggins for self and uncle. Bingo was not a lawyer, and he merely put things that way to please Otho Sackville-Baggins, who was a lawyer. Otho certainly was pleased, but whether by the language or the property is difficult to say. Anyway, as soon as he had read the notice he shouted: ‘Ours at last!’ So I suppose it was all right, at least according to the legal notions of hobbits. And that is how the Sackville-Bagginses got Bag-end in the end, though they had to wait ninety-three years longer for it than they had once expected.

[Drífa]

I have always liked the parts with Lofar, the Dwarf.

In the replacement text the structure in FR (pp.₄₇-8) is reached, with
the sole important difference that Merry's rôle is taken by the dwarf
Lofar, who had stayed behind after Bilbo's departure (p. ₂₃8); and the
only minor differences from FR are that Otho Sackville-Baggins is still a
lawyer, the date of Bingo's entry into his inheritance is stated (midnight
on ₂₂ September), the witnessing of the will was by three hobbits of more
than ₃₃ years old, according to the custom, and the Sackville-Bagginses
'more than hinted that he or the wizard (or the pair of them together)
were at the bottom of the whole business.'... HoME vol. 6, Return To Hobbiton

[Arothir]

I do find the notion of Hobbit law to be interesting. The idea of Hobbit lawyers certainly makes the idea of their courts something worth speculating on. While I grant that this was not overly expanded on, we see Bilbo interact with contract law in The Hobbit, and the notion of relatively strict inheritance laws (see Otho Sackville-Baggins trying to net a second inheritance and being foiled by Frodo being adopted as Bilbo's heir).