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Hawick (pronounced "Hoi-ck") is a town in the Scottish Borders in the south east of Scotland. It is most well-known for its annual Common Riding, which also commemorates a victory of local youths over an English raiding party in 1514.
It is one of the furthest 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 and as the home of Hawick Rugby Football Club, one of the world's oldest and most famous sides. Another favourite sport in the town is Bowls. There are three clubs; Wilton, Hawick and Buccleuch, each holding a long span of history.
People from Hawick call themselves "Teri"s, after a traditional song which includes the line "Teribus y Teriodin", which may refer to the Norse gods Tyr and Odin.
Hawick lies in the valley of the Teviot at the point the River Slitrig joins it. The A7 Edinburgh to Carlisle road passes through the town, with main roads also leading to Kelso and Newcastle. The town lost its rail service in 1969, but there is a regular bus service to the railway station at Carlisle, 42 miles (68 km) away. The nearest airports are at Edinburgh and Newcastle.
Rivalry between the small Border towns is generally played out on the Rugby field and the comical historical antagonism continues to this day, Hawick's main rival being the similarly-sized town of Galashiels.
Hawick has distinctive stone housing with slate roofs. These can be seen off the main A7.
Ba game
The long forgotten Hawick Ba game was 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 the Ba game is no longer played at Hawick, it is still played at nearby Jedburgh.
- Picture of the ba game at Hawick dated 1904
- Letter to the Editor of 'The Times' on the Hawick Ba game (1928)
See also
- Bill McLaren
- Hawick Rugby Football Club
- Hawick Waverley Football Club
- James Wilson (UK politician)
- Sir Chay Blyth (Yachtsman)
Teri Talk
Many local people 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 Langholm and Jedburgh.Some examples of words translated into the Hawick dialect follow.
One - Yin
Two - Twae
Three - Threi
Four - Fower
Me - Mei
You - Ee ("What ir ee daein?") or yow ("A tellt yow ti dae eet, no him!")
More - Mair
Town - Toon
Doing - Daein
Know - Ken
I don't - A deh (or "A dinnae")
You don't - Ee deh (or "Ee dinnae")
He doesn't - Hei (or "eh") disnae
References
- Hawick News
- Visit Scotland's page
- Murray, James (1870-72, 1873) The Dialect of the Southern Counties of Scotland, London: Philological Society.
External links
"Hawick"