A hobbit is a measure of weight equal to 168 pounds (or 4 Welsh Pecks). Probably, you expected a different definition for a hobbit. I have read that English writer J.R.R. Tolkien was fascinated with the Welsh language and customs, to the point that he designed his fictional Elf language on Welsh meanings, words, and traditions. When Wales became part of the United Kingdom in 1707 (after a long and difficult transition), that did not mean that the Welsh people got in line and did what they were told to do. In particular, very independent Welsh language and culture endures today, and this is not just OK, cultural identity, once put down as rebellion, is now encouraged in all members of the United Kingdom.