Hawick

Hawick is a town in south-east Scotland in the county of Roxburghshire. It lies on the banks of the rivers Teviot and Slitrig, close to the English border; a remote area of hill, forest and narrow, steep-sided valleys. The town was an early settlement of the pagan Angles (the name means 'hedged enclosure' in Anglian). It was a minor administrative centre in medieval Scotland, frequently assaulted and burned during the endemic border warfare. Its later prominence was based on the development of the knitted woolen textile industry. The town had a small specialist trade in knitted hose and stockings, but in 1771 the Bailie, John Hardie, introduced the first knitting frames to the town, revolutionising the industry. These were hand-operated, but once the fast-flowing waters of the Teviot and Slitrig were harnessed to power multitudes of frames in specially-built mills, the industry expanded rapidly. In 1824 the first steam-powered mills were introduced. Knitwear is still made in Hawick, and the famous Pringles company, a favourite of golfers, is based in the town.

External links[edit]

• http://www.hawick.net/