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“Tweed” …an accident!
The term
“Tweed” was coined quite accidentally in 1826 as the result of a misread label
on a shipment of woven wool “Tweels” – the Scots dialect word for twill – from
weaver William Watson & Sons of Commercial Road, Hawick, to a London cloth
merchant. The word “Tweel” had perhaps not been written clearly on the label
but to the merchant “Tweed” made complete sense as these fabrics were chiefly
used in those days by gentlemen for shooting and fishing, with the nearby river
Tweed being a fashionable destination for such pursuits.
A brand was born
With the
misunderstanding then being perpetuated by the customer reordering another
consignment of “Tweeds”, William Watson chose not to correct the mistake.
Realising he had a fantastic name for his product, and recognising the branding
opportunity, he promptly adopted the term as a description for his mill’s high
quality sporting cloths. In modern times William Watson would have been well
advised to register copyright on this new product, however 200 years ago there
were few such considerations and use of the word soon spread all over Scotland
and, ultimately, throughout the World.
Legacy
Now
generally recognised as “The Home of Tweed”, Lovat Mill is proud to be the
torch bearer of William Watson’s legacy, continuing the manufacture of this
unique product into the 21st century.
Lovat Mill
now stands just a few metres from where Watson’s mill once stood.
Humble beginnings
Weaving in
Hawick began centuries ago as a cottage industry using wool from local sheep,
the abundant supply of water from the River Teviot and, of course, the skills
of artisan craftsmen and women.
By the late
1800’s, as new dyestuffs and loom types evolved, weaving in Hawick developed
into a thriving industry supplying wool cloths to many new international
markets. Lovat Mill currently exports around half of its product to “Tweed”
connoisseurs the world over.
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