19 May 2023
Today was our last full day in Scotland and we spent it exploring more of Hawick. In the town hall there is apparently a portrait of a distant Nichol cousin who was mayor here in the 1870s, however the person who might know about it was not in so that will remain a mystery until next time. We spent a lovely couple of hours learning about local history in the Hawick Library and were amazed at the quality and quantity of information put together by the Hawick Archaeological Society, both on locations around Hawick and the people of Hawick. We also discovered that the Cavers church that we visited yesterday was the ‘new church’, built in the 1820s, and that there is an ‘old church’ further up the road, with the gravestones in someone’s back yard.
On our way to the Hawick Museum, we stopped into Lovat Mill where we learnt about the origin of the word Tweed. In contradiction to what we were told in Gala, today it was explained that in 1826 a London merchant’s clerk made a mistake by misreading a delivery note for “Tweels” from Hawick, and instead assumed the word was “Tweed”. This name caught the imagination of the local weavers and it stuck. At Gala, there is a university that specialises in textiles, and the lady who spoke to us at the mill had a Masters in Textiles and Design – she was very knowledgeable and even showed us how they make the tassels at the ends of scarves.
Mum and I spend the late afternoon exploring the Wellogate Cemetery (yes, another graveyard!), hunting for clues on our Nichol family. Once again, it was so peaceful and surrounded by multicoloured trees, plus it had lovely views over Hawick.
We are feeling a bit mixed. Happy to continue to follow in
our Nichol family footsteps down to Blyth and Newcastle but feeling very sad to
be leaving Scotland. The stunning scenery, amazing history, and the warm, friendly people
have won us over.
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