J.R.R. Tolkien

Birth Name:

John Ronald Reuel Tolkien

Birth Date:

January 3, 1892

Birth Place:

Bloemfontein, South Africa

Death Date:

September 2, 1973

Place of Death:

Old Royal Bournemouth Hospital, Bournemouth, Hampshire, England

Age:

Cause of Death:

Acute bleeding gastric ulcer and chest infection

Cemetery Name:

Wolvercote Cemetery

Claim to Fame:

Writers and Poets

Associates:

C. S. Lewis

J.R.R. Tolkien (1892–1973) was an English writer, scholar, and professor best known for creating The Hobbit and The Lord of the Rings. He is widely regarded as one of the most influential fantasy authors of all time, creating an elaborate fictional world filled with invented languages, ancient histories, mythology, and memorable characters. After the war, Tolkien pursued an academic career, eventually becoming a professor at Oxford University. He was an expert in Old English and medieval literature, especially the epic poem Beowulf. Alongside his academic work, he developed an imaginary world called Middle-earth. He created languages, maps, peoples, legends, and thousands of years of fictional history to give the world a sense of depth and authenticity. In 1937, he published The Hobbit, a children's adventure about a hobbit named Bilbo Baggins who joins a company of dwarves on a quest to reclaim their treasure from the dragon Smaug. The book became successful and established the foundation for his best-known fictional universe.

Fun Fact

J.R.R. Tolkien and C.S. Lewis were close friends, fellow Oxford academics, and two of the most influential writers of the 20th century. Their friendship helped shape both The Lord of the Rings and The Chronicles of Narnia. Tolkien and Lewis met at Oxford University in 1926. Tolkien was a professor of Anglo-Saxon literature, while Lewis was a scholar of English literature.

C.S. Lewis and J.R.R. Tolkien—along with their literary group, The Inklings—primarily drank and met at two historic pubs in Oxford located across the street from each other on St Giles’ Street: The Eagle and Child and The Lamb and Flag. Both pubs remain popular with locals and tourists alike.

Cemetery Information:

Final Resting Place:

Wolvercote Cemetery

A4165 Banbury Road

Oxford OX2 8EE, England,

United Kingdom

Europe

Map:

Wolvercote Cemetery in Oxford, UK

Grave Location:

Plot L2, Grave 211

Grave Location Description

As you enter the cemetery park next to the chapel in the center of the cemetery. Take the asphalt path directly behind the chapel until it turns into a dirt path. Continue on the dirt path approximately 5 rows and just past the large tree on your right, turn right and continue on into the grassy burial grounds. Count 20 memorials into Plot L2 for the final resting place of literary giant John Tolkien and his wife Edith.

Grave Location GPS

51.79147940891, -1.2749289842

Photos:

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FAQ's

J.R.R. Tolkien was born on January 3, 1892.

J.R.R. Tolkien was born in Bloemfontein, South Africa.

J.R.R. Tolkien died on September 2, 1973.

J.R.R. Tolkien died in Old Royal Bournemouth Hospital, Bournemouth, Hampshire, England.

J.R.R. Tolkien was 81.

The cause of death was Acute bleeding gastric ulcer and chest infection.

J.R.R. Tolkien's grave is in Wolvercote Cemetery

Videos Featuring J.R.R. Tolkien:

JRR Tolkien on how WW1 inspired The Lord of the Rings

J.R.R. Tolkien's Whole Life in 5 Minutes

Tolkien explains on BBC how he started The Hobbit

1968: Tolkien on The Lord of the Rings

Interview with Tolkien (BBC Archival Footage - 1968)

Watch YouTube video titled Sir Christopher Lee on meeting J R R Tolkien

J.R.R. Tolkien