Razing Arnor: How real were the Dunadan conspiracies?

Peoples of Middle-earth) Tolkien also says that Bree was a part of Cardolan. It seems a bit strange that so vital a cross-roads town would be deemed part of Cardolan, but Bree was closer to the South Downs and the Barrow Downs, where many Dunedain (and other Men) still lived, so its association with Cardolan may not be such a stretch. Nonetheless, Bombadil led Frodo, Sam, Merry, and Pippin through a large dyke marking the boundary between Arthedain and Cardolan just north of the Barrow Downs and south of the east-west road, so Bree seems to be on the wrong side of the dividing line altogether. There also appear to have been other princes in Arnor besides the princes of the royal house. In the war of 1409, more than 50 years after the last Heir of Isildur had died in Cardolan, the last prince of Cardolan retreated to the Barrow Downs and made a final stand there against the army of Angmar. If he wasn't an Heir of Isildur, then he had to be someone else's Heir. So it follows that at least one princely house existed besides the House of Isildur in Arnor. In the past I have speculated that perhaps the six ship-captains who commanded the remaining vessels in Elendil's small flotilla (Elendil, Isildur, and Anarion each seem to have had their own ships) established princely houses in Arnor and Gondor. Each of the ship-captains was denoted by a star in the royal emblem of Elendil's house. The stars may imply nobility. In Unfinished Tales a note in "Cirion and Eorl" says that Elendil bestowed the title of "prince" on the ancestors of the Lords of Dol Amroth because they were his relatives. If their first prince had also been a Numenorean captain who commanded one of Elendil's ships, then his princely house would be one of three which could have helped to found Gondor. Gondor did originally consist of five regions: Ithilien and Anorien, the shires of Isildur and Anarion, and Belfalas, Lebennin, and Calenardhon. If there were princes of Lebennin and Calenardhon, then they may have been ship-captains (Isildur and Anarion reached Pelagir with five ships). Arnor could also have established three princely houses in addition to Elendil's house. Although it's not necessary for either realm to actually have more than the one attested princely family, it does make sense to assume that the ship-captains were given some sort of recognition

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