Jock Thorburn: Colin Purvis - Drystane Dyking
Thu, Oct 8th 2015 at 7:00 pm - 9:00 pm
Weekly meeting with guest speaker
President Mairhi Trickett had returned to
health and was back in the chair at last week's Rotary club meeting. She
introduced the speaker, a local man of many pairts. Boxer (now coach),
scribe (local news reporter, would-be author, poet) who spoke on the art/craft
of drystane walling and dyking at which he is an accomplished expert.
He explained how dyking was at its most popular in the period 1770-1870 when, as
a result of the agricultural revolution, it became necessary to define
owners/tenants smaller farms and while ploughing fields for arable farming
stones were unearthed so two needs were fulfilled at the same time - dykes were
built and fields were cleared. In 1910 records show there were 30 dykers
in Hawick and, in fact, sheep stells which are all over the local hills,
originated in Hawick. The stells were built to shelter sheep from the
winter snowstorms and had to be built with a diameter of 15 yards to avoid snow
gathering in them. Colin had been dyking for 30 years and, although new
dykes are being built, he is usually employed repairing them. Some have
lasted 200 years and will last as long again. He now runs courses for the
Dry-stone Wall Association as well as attending dyking competitions. The
vote of thanks was given by Jock Thorburn, Colin's mentor in his days at the
boxing club.
