Hawick

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Coordinates: 55°25′26″N 2°47′02″W / 55.424°N 2.784°W / 55.424; -2.784

Hawick
Scottish Gaelic: Hamhaig
Scots: Haaick
Hawick  Hawick shown within Scotland
Population	14,801  (2001 census)
Language	English
	South Scots
OS grid reference	NT505155
- Edinburgh	53 mi (85 km)
- London	349 mi (562 km)
Council area	Scottish Borders
Lieutenancy area	Roxburgh, Ettrick and Lauderdale
Constituent country	Scotland
Sovereign state	United Kingdom
Post town	HAWICK
Postcode district	TD9
Dialling code	01450
Police	Lothian and Borders
Fire	Lothian and Borders
Ambulance	Scottish
European Parliament	Scotland
UK Parliament	Berwickshire, Roxburgh & Selkirk
Scottish Parliament	Roxburgh & Berwickshire
List of places: UK • Scotland •

Hawick (pronounced /ˈhɔɪk/ ( listen) hoik) is a town in the Scottish Borders in the south east of Scotland. It is best-known for its annual Common Riding.

It is one of the farthest towns from the sea in Scotland, in the heart of Teviotdale and the largest town in the former county of Roxburghshire. It is also known for quality knitwear production.

Hawick has distinctive sandstone buildings with slate roofs.

Local Traditions

The town host 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 tourism guide as one of the best parties in the world.^[1]

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

Communications

View along Hawick High Street.

Hawick lies in the valley of the Teviot at the point where the River Slitrig joins it. 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, as part of the controversial Beeching Axe and is now said to be the farthest large town from a railway station in the United Kingdom. However there is a regular bus service to the railway station at Carlisle, 42 miles (68 km) away. There are plans to reinstate the line.

The nearest major airports are at Edinburgh and Newcastle.

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 and the historical antagonism continues to this day, Hawick's main rival being 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, this being considered the first systematic study of any dialect. The Hawick tongue retains many elements of Old English, together with particular vocabulary, grammar and pronunciation, these peculiarities arising from the relative isolation of the town.

Town twinning

• Bailleul, Nord, France

See also

• Dame Isobel Baillie
• Sir Chay Blyth
• Brian Bonsor
• John Brunton Daykins VC
• Jimmie Guthrie
• Nigel Griffiths
• Hawick Rugby Football Club
• Hawick Royal Albert F.C.
• James Paris Lee
• Bill McLaren
• James Murray
• Anne Redpath
• Henry Scott Riddell
• Francis George Scott
• Andrew Smith
• David Wallace
• James Wilson
• Sir John Blackwood McEwen
• Scocha

References

External links

• "Census 2001". Population figures. http://www.scotborders.gov.uk/outabout/aboutborders/townsize/index.html. Retrieved August 17 2005. 
• Hawick News
• Visit Scotland's page

Further reading

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

External links

• Hawick Website
• The Online Resource for Hawick
• Hawick News
• Hawick Legion F.C.
• Hawick Waverley F.C.
• Hawick Common Riding Website
• Hawick Callants Club
• Visit Scotland
• Southern Scots
• Old Photographs Of Hawick And The Scottish Borders
• Photos Of Hawick
• Picture of the ba game at Hawick dated 1904
• Letter to the Editor of 'The Times' on the Hawick Ba game (1928)
• A Hawick Wordbook - Douglas Scott