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. Lovat Mill carries a wide selection of permanently stocked wool tweeds. These are available “by the metre” from the mill, and range from lighter jacketing weights up to the more robust “Sporting Tweeds”, suitable for country pursuits and home furnishings.