| Come to Hawick and you will be following
in the footsteps of may who have made the journey before you - Iron Age
settlers, Romans and Vikings. The Saxons called the town "Haggawick"
which means the settlement hedged around by hills. St. Cuthbert lived
for some time on the grassy knowe where St. Mary's Church now stands and
the Normans built a wooden tower of Hawick Motte to control the Barony
of Hawick. This was replaced in the 13th Century by a substancial tower
of stone where the rivers Slitrig and Teviot meet. Through time the
powerful Douglas family governed the town and Sir James Douglas granted
the town its charter in 1537.
The town was granted burgh barony status
on 15th June 1511, this meant that the town was able to hold public
markets and these originally took place in the High Street near to the
Town Hall. The Mercat Cross was removed from this location in 1762 as it
was impeding traffic. Market Day was usually a Thursday and there are
records which show that Hawick had markets of the following types:
flesh, butter, meal, salt and a horsemarket.
An exciting and dangerous place in the
middle ages, Hawick was the centre of reiving
as the Border was a frontier land, a cauldron of strife, a cockpit in
which were fought out the destinies of neighbouring kingdoms. The
excitement of these times is encapsulated in the Common Riding
ceremonies, held annually in early June, which commemorates the victory
of the young men of Hawick at Hornshole in 1514, a year after the Battle
of Flodden.
More settled days saw the development of
industry - Baillie John Hardy introduced sticking frames to the town in
1771 - a small beginning which let to our world famous knitwear
industry.
The completion of the Waverely Line
provided the vital transport link with the outside world - although axed
in 1969, walkers and rail enthusiasts will still find it possible to
walk the route of the old railway line. The turbulent history of the
Borders is unique and well chronicled in the magnificent country houses
and estates built by the powerful lords of the area - which to this day,
stand further testament to our proud heritage.
Hawick has a long and colourful history
which can be traced back at least as far as the 12th century, when a
Norman family - the Lovels - had land granted to them in and around
Hawick by King David I. The oldest part of the town is the area between
St Mary's Kirk and the Motte, in particular the Drumlanrig Square area.
Both the Kirk and the Motte date from the 12th century when the Lovel
family held Hawick. From here the town spread down Howefate to Sandbed
and over the Slitrig to the area that is now High Street. By the end of
the 14th century the lands of Hawick had passed to the Douglasses of
Drumlanrig, who built Drumlanrig's Tower.
Today, much of the medieval town has been
removed by later developments but there are still many interesting
places which you can visit.
For further information on
Hawick visit Welcome
to Teridom |
