Hawick is a town in the Scottish Borders council area and historic county of
Roxburghshire in the east Southern Uplands of Scotland. It is 10.0 miles
south-west of Jedburgh and 8.9 miles south-southeast of Selkirk. It is one of
the farthest towns from the sea in Scotland, in the heart of Teviotdale,
and the biggest town in the former county of Roxburghshire. Hawick's
architecture is distinctive in that it has many sandstone buildings with slate
roofs. The town is at the confluence of the Slitrig Water with the River Teviot.
Hawick is known for its yearly Common Riding, for its rugby team Hawick Rugby
Football Club and for its knitwear industry.
At the 2001 census Hawick had a resident population of 14,801. By 2011, this had
reduced to 14,294. Monuments
The west end of the town contains "the Mote", the remains of a Norman
motte-and-bailey. In the centre of the High Street is the Scots baronial style
Town Hall, built in 1886, and the east end has an equestrian statue, known as
"The Horse", erected in 1914. Drumlanrig's Tower, now a museum, dates
largely from the mid-16th century. Economy
Companies such as Hawick Cashmere, Hawick Knitwear, Johnstons of Elgin,
Lyle & Scott, Peter Scott, Pringle of Scotland, and Scott and Charters, all
have had and in many cases still have manufacturing plants in Hawick,
producing some of the most luxurious cashmere and merino wool knitwear in the
world today. The first knitting machine was brought to Hawick in 1771 by John
Hardie, building on an existing carpet manufacturing trade. Originally based on
linen, this quickly moved to wool and factories multiplied, driving the growth
of the town. Engineering firm Turnbull and Scott previously had their
headquarters in an Elizabethan-style listed building on Commercial Road
before moving to Burnfoot. Transport
Hawick lies in the centre of the valley of the Teviot. The A7 Edinburgh to
Carlisle road passes through the town, with main roads also leading to Berwick
upon Tweed and Newcastle upon Tyne south-east of Hawick).
The town lost its rail service in 1969, when as part of the Beeching Axe the
'Waverley Line' from Carlisle to Edinburgh via Hawick was closed. It is
now said to be the farthest large town from a railway station in the United
Kingdom. Regular buses serve the railway station at Carlisle, 42 miles away. Part
of the former Waverley line is currently being rebuilt from Edinburgh to
Tweedbank and is due to open in the summer of 2015. Campaigners are lobbying
for the line to be extended to Hawick and then on to Carlisle.
The nearest major airports are at Edinburgh, 57 miles away, and Newcastle,
56 miles away. Culture and traditions
The town hosts the annual Common Riding, which combines the annual riding of the
boundaries of the town's common land with the commemoration of a victory of
local youths over an English raiding party in 1514. In March 2007, this was
described by the Rough Guide publication World Party as one of the best parties
in the world. People from Hawick call themselves
"Teries", after a traditional song which includes the line "Teribus ye teri
odin". = Teri Talk =
Many Hawick residents speak the local dialect of Border Scots which is
informally known as "Teri Talk". It is similar to the dialects spoken in
surrounding towns, especially Jedburgh, Langholm and Selkirk. The speech of this
general area was described in Dialect of the Southern Counties of Scotland by
James Murray, considered the first systematic study of any dialect. The
Hawick tongue retains many elements of Old English, together with particular
vocabulary, grammar and pronunciation. Its distinctiveness arose from the
relative isolation of the town. = Sports =
The town is the home of Hawick Rugby Football Club and a senior football
team, Hawick Royal Albert, who currently play in the East of Scotland Football
League. Rivalry between the small Border towns
is generally played out on the rugby union field. The historical competition
continues to this day, as Hawick's main rival is the similarly-sized town of
Galashiels. The Hawick Baw game was once played here
by the 'uppies' and the 'doonies' on the first Monday after the new moon in the
month of February. The river of the town formed an important part of the pitch.
Although no longer played at Hawick, it is still played at nearby Jedburgh.
Tourism This Abbey is part of five other abbeys
and historic sights though Scotland on Borders Abbeys Way walk.
Town twinning Bailleul, Nord, France
Notable residents Dame Isobel Baillie
Sir Chay Blyth Brian Bonsor
John Brunton Daykins VC Steve Hislop
Stuart Easton Nigel Griffiths
Jimmie Guthrie James Paris Lee
Sir John Blackwood Bill McLaren
Sir James Murray Anne Redpath
John Renbourn Henry Scott Riddell
Francis George Scott Sir Andrew Smith
Sir David Wallace James Wilson
Douglas Veitch Stewart Fraser
Tony Stanger Stuart Hogg
Dave Valentine See also
Hawick Rugby Football Club Hawick Royal Albert F.C.
List of places in the Scottish Borders List of places in Scotland
Hawick's villages: Burnfoot, Scottish Borders
Stirches Wilton Dean
References Further reading
Murray, James The Dialect of the Southern Counties of Scotland, London:
Philological Society. External links
Old Photographs Of Hawick And The Scottish Borders
Photos Of Hawick Picture of the ba game at Hawick dated
1904