‘Mayfield’ refers to the hawthorn (or May) trees that once grew on the sloping hillside. This area of Hawick was in use as allotments as far back as the mid-1700s. During the 18th century, a large wall was built alongside the Selkirk road, replacing a long beech hedge known as Lockieshedge (named after early resident, John Lockie, who died in 1742). The wall was demolished in 1970 when the road was realigned.
Mayfield Lodge
In the 1840s, local lawyer James Oliver (c.1815-1900), formerly of Teviot Lodge, built Mayfield House on land inherited from his father, John Oliver of Borthaugh (1770-1849). James was a writer and bank agent, and served for many years as Town Clerk of Hawick. He was taken into the family firm with his older brother in 1849 when it became known as George & James Oliver. It is still in existence today and the current generation of Olivers write a monthly article for The Hawick Paper!
Mayfield Park
Nearby Mayfield Lodge was built sometime around the 1840s, using stone from the old Wilton Parish Manse. Mayfield House and its grounds were purchased by the Town Council in 1962, to form a new housing scheme which was subsequently named after the former estate. During the early 1970s a number of new streets were built, including Mayfield Drive, Bothwell Court, Wallace Court and Bruce Court (the latter three named after weel-kent figures in Scottish history). Mayfield Park was added as an extension to the estate in 1984. The Mayfield Lodge was converted to a pub in 1970, and was bought over by its current owners around 2001.
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