Hawick Common Riding is staged annually in the month of June and is a commemeration of the Battle of Hornshole.
In 1513 many of the able bodied men of Hawick were among the 17,000 slaughtered by the English at the Battle of Flodden.
This left much of the Borders area prone to raids from English marauders.
In 1514 one such band of marauders camped on the banks of the River Teviot at Hornshole, two miles east of Hawick.
They got no further - plundered by the youth of Hawick on hearing the news of an English presence in the area, the flag of Hexham retained as a trophy of their triumph and a replica used today in the ceremonies of Hawick Common Riding, where a warm welcome is now extended to people of all nationalities.

information: www.hawickcallantsclub.co.uk/commonriding/hornshole.htm