a town in the county of Roxburgh, Scotland, 10 miles S.W. from Jedburgh, the county town, and 53 miles S.S.E. from Edinburgh by the Hawick branch of the North British railway. It stands on the S. bank of the Teviot, and is divided into nearly equal parts by a wild and irregular stream, the Slitrig, which has been known to rise more than 20 feet above its ordinary level, sweeping away houses, and leaving the foundation rock without a vestige of building-material or soil. Hawick is of undoubted antiquity, being mentioned in the Chronicles of Melrose as early as 1214; and the name itself is of Saxon derivation. But the strongest testimony to the early settlement of the spot is afforded by an artificial mound at the upper end of the town, called the Moat, having 312 feet circumference at the base, an elevation of 30 feet, and a nearly level top of 117 feet in circumference. Its origin is entirely lost; but Mr Jeffrey, whose acquaintance with the historical memorials of the Scottish border is perhaps unparalleled, throws out the conjectures, in his History and Antiquities of Roxburghshire, that "the children of the Gadeni may have used it as a burying-place for their dead, and their descendants afterwards have converted it into a moat hill; or it may have been used from a very early period as a place for acting as well as administering laws. . . . There can be no doubt (he adds) that in later times the flat top of the Hawick Moat was used by the judge of the day for hearing the rude suitors of the district." Another illustration of past modes of life in the district is afforded by the building now used as the Tower Inn, which was at one time a fortress of the barons of Drumlanrig, from one of whom the town charter (circa 1537) was derived. Eight years after this baronial grant, the corporate privileges were confirmed by Queen Mary, who was gratified with the hospitality she received here. The government of the town is vested in two bailies and a council; the former being elected annually by the burgesses, the latter consisting of fifteen life members and fourteen representatives of incorporated trades. The bold and enterprising spirit which characterized the borderers prior to the union of the Scottish and English crowns is now specially distinctive of the inhabitants of Hawick; and having, about the middle of last century, embarked in the manufacture of wool beyond the wants of the district, they have steadily developed a trade that at the present time gives employment in the town to a capital of £180,000 and to 3689 hands. The carpet manufacture was the first attempted (1752), and was soon followed by the manufacture of inkle and cloth; but there have given way to the hosiery manufacture, which was first set on foot by Baillie Hardie in 1771. The baillie employed 5 men and 6 women, who produced annually, from 4 looms, about 2400 pairs of coarse stockings. Twenty years later (1791), 14 men, 51 women, and 8 looms, turned out 3500 pairs lambs' wool and 600 pairs cotton stockings—the population of the town being 2320. About the commencement of this century machinery was introduced; and in 1816 there were 7 mills, 44 engines, 100 hand jennies, and 510 stocking frames, from which 1044 operatives worked up 288,000 lbs. wool into 328,000 pairs of stockings. The subsequent progress of the trade may be seen in the following table; the statistics for 1838 and 1850 being taken from the Annals of Hawick, by James Wilson, town-clerk; those for 1856 being made up from returns obtained from the several manufacturing houses:

| Year | Carding Mills | Engines or Scribbling Machines | Number of Stocking Frames | Number of Stockings Made | |------|---------------|-------------------------------|--------------------------|-------------------------| | 1838 | 11 (partly by steam) | 106 engines or 53 sets | 1200 | 1200 | | 1850 | 11 (6 water and steam) | ... | ... | ... | | 1856 | ... | ... | ... | ... |

The number of stock frames increased from 1200 in 1838 to 1611 in 1856. As the policy of the Duke of Buccleuch, to whom nine-tenths of the soil of the parish belongs, is adverse to manufactures, this steady growth of the staple trade of the town has only been accomplished in the face of great difficulties in regard to mill sites. Though the chief manufacture is in articles of hosiery, there are also produced tweeds, shawls, blankets and flannels; and the preparation of leather, and the manufacture of gloves and candles, are carried on extensively. On Thursday there is a weekly market, principally for grain; and several fairs and hiring markets are held during the year. The trade of the town is assisted by branches of the British Linen, Commercial, and National banks, besides which there is a savings' bank. A newspaper, a literary institution, two reading-rooms, a trades' library, and some minor libraries, are evidences of the mental activity of the people; and their religious character may be judged by the fact that there are 10 places of worship, with accommodation for the entire population of the town. These places of worship are,—2 Established, 1 Free, 3 United Presbyterian, 1 Episcopal, 2 Congregational, 1 Baptist, 1 Roman Catholic, and 1 Quaker. The ancient buildings of the town are fast disappearing, and in their stead are rising handsome modern buildings. The principal street is broad, well paved, and clean; and two bridges crossing the Slitrig render intercommunication easy, whilst an excellent bridge across the Teviot gives access from the country. Pop. of parish (1801), 2798; (1841), 6575; (1851), 7801; of town (1851), 6683.