herritage -centerThe  Turnbull Turning of the Bull Monument has found a home in the newly constructed and prestigious Hawick Heritage Hub!  The Hawick Heritage Hub is part of a massive and ongoing Heart of Hawick project.

The Heart of Hawick (HoH) project involves several major elements, including the building of the Heritage Hub, renovations and refurbishing of Drumlanrig’s Tower and the Tower Mill, and development of the town center.  The complex will be home to the Scottish Borders Archives and serve as the Local History Center.  The hub is being constructed to meet archival document storage standards and will house documents as much as 500 years old.  These air conditioned storage rooms will include state of the art electronic shelving insuring faster retrieval times. The Turning of the Bull Monument will be placed in the courtyard of the hub.  This area is open to the public and will be used for many diverse events.

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Project director Lindsay Wood shows TCA president, Wally Turnbull the projected monument location

Visitors will enjoy these enhanced facilities which include an airy comfortable search room, new search equipment and a team of experienced staff who will be on hand to assist.  There will be public displays and exhibits in a glassed walled foyer area.  Entry and use of the archives will be free to the public.  It is planned to have one day a week set aside for group and educational tours.  In addition to Saturday hours, there will be extended hours one day a week.

The town of Hawick is the largest in the Scottish borders.  It dates back to a settlement founded by the Angles in the 600s.  As a border town, it suffered significantly in the cross border wars between England and Scotland in the 1300s-1500s.  In 1513, the Battle of Flodden was responsible for the deaths of most of the town’s fighting age men.  The English troops were fought off by the boys or callents, who captured the English flag in the process.

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Project director Lindsay Wood shows TCA president, Wally Turnbull the projected monument locatio

An annual Common Riding commemorates this event. For the last several hundred years Hawick’s fame revolved around the textile industry.  This industry started with the hand knitting of hosiery and continued to develop with the production of spun wool and linen.  By the 1800’s Hawick was the center of the production of hosiery, carpets and many woolen goods.

Hawick is only 7 miles from Bedrule, home of the first Turnbulls, and 6 miles from Minto (Fatlips Castle).  It was the major town for the area and Turnbulls are documented among its charter land owners.

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Early planning stages for the monument location. Left to right, Susan Taylor and Lindsay Wood, Heritage project managers, and George Turnbull, TCA Trustee, Scotland

In addition, Hawick is the town where TCA founder John F. Turnbull lived and worked.  His widow, Myra, served as the first woman Provost of the town for many years.  TCA Scotland Trustee, George Turnbull, has been instrumental in the early planning stages of finding a home for the monument. The town of Hawick and the Heritage Hub will be the perfect home for the Turning of the Bull monument.  The Turnbull history is coming alive in the Borders again.  TCA directors are very excited about this agreement of placing the monument in such a historical place relevant to all Turnbulls worldwide.

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The prominent position of the Turning of the Bull monument in the courtyard of the Hawick Heritage Hub will bring our clan history alive to countless visitors.