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Hawick

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Hawick
Hawick from the top of the Mote
Area1.9 sq mi (4.9 km2)
Population14,801 [3] (2001 census)
• Density7,790/sq mi (3,010/km2)
LanguageEnglish
Southern Scots
OS grid referenceNT505155
• Edinburgh39.7 mi (63.9 km) NNW
• London292 mi (470 km) SSE
Council area
Lieutenancy area
CountryScotland
Sovereign stateUnited Kingdom
Post townHAWICK
Postcode districtTD9
Dialling code01450
PoliceScotland
FireScottish
AmbulanceScottish
UK Parliament
Scottish Parliament
Websitescotborders.gov.uk
List of places
UK
Scotland

Hawick (/ˈhɔɪk/ ⓘ hoyk;  Template:Lang-sco, Template:Lang-gd) 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 (16.1 km) south-west of Jedburgh and 8.9 miles (14.3 km) 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.

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.

Industry

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.

Local 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 tourism Rough Guide as one of the best parties in the world.[4]

People from Hawick call themselves "Teries", after a traditional song which includes the line "Teribus ye teri odin".

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 (the A698) and Newcastle upon Tyne (the A6088, which joins the A68 at the Carter Bar, 16 miles (26 km) south-east of Hawick).

Despite a great deal of local opposition the town lost its rail service in 1969, when as part of the controversial 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 (68 km) away. There are plans to reinstate the line from Edinburgh to Tweedbank, but not to Hawick.

The nearest major airports are at Edinburgh and Newcastle.

Hawick Town Hall, on High Street.
A track to the west of Shankend Farm The twin summits in the distance are the Maiden Paps.

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.

Ba game

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.

Teri Talk

Many Hawick residents speak the local dialect of Border Scots which is informally known as "Teri Talk". It is similar (but not identical by any means) 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 (1873) by James Murray, considered the first systematic study of any dialect. The Hawick tongue retains many elements of Old English,[citation needed] together with particular vocabulary, grammar and pronunciation. Its distinctiveness arose from the relative isolation of the town.

Town twinning

Notable people

See also

Hawick's villages:

References

  1. ^ An Stòr-dàta Briathrachais, www2.smo.uhi.ac.uk. Retrieved 2010-02-03.
  2. ^ Scots Language Centre: Scottish Place Names in Scots
  3. ^ Town Size, Scottish Borders Council. Retrieved 2005-08-17.
  4. ^ "Guide book praises common riding". BBC. 2007-03-13. Retrieved 2009-05-16.

Further reading

  • Murray, James (1870–72, 1873) The Dialect of the Southern Counties of Scotland, London: Philological Society.
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