Eskdale and Liddesdale Pastoral Society was formed in
1832/33 at the suggestion of the then Duke of Buccleuch and the first
agricultural show was held in 1883. Subsequent shows alternated
between Langholm and Newcastleton until 1893 when the present
Liddesdale Agricultural Society was formed and from which time a show
took place
every year in Newcastleton - always to fall on the last
Saturday in August.
The ‘Holm’ Show – so named after the site upon
which the village was built in 1793 - Copshawholm - is an
important and popular event in Newcastleton’s calendar.
It is a main
focus for the farming community and an opportunity for everyone to
meet and socialise after the hard work of the preceding months.
The Show has only failed to take place four times out of over one
hundred and
thirteen years since 1893. Tragically – Foot and Mouth
Disease hit the event in 1952,
in 1966 and more recently in 2001 when
sheep farms in this area were devastated
along with those in our
neighbouring counties, and in 1985 because of weather;
the two Show
fields next to the Auction Mart were waterlogged; there was no Show
but the Committee decided to replace it with a Rural Event in the hope
that it would provide an opportunity to look back as well as forward
in a constructive way
and dispel some of the gloom, which it did.
The Show is held on the last Saturday in August and there is great
activity in the preceding week when stock pens and tents are erectedfor the various exhibits –
and, of course, there are the tea and beer
tents!
There are interests for all age groups and the ‘Holm Show’ is a day of
family
gatherings and of reunions with old friends – and it is a bonus
if the sun shines.
A Sheep Dog Trial was held on the same day across the river at
Whithaugh and a temporary bridge was built for easy access to the
field. Since 1975 this event has
been held on the Monday following the
Show, at various venues at first, but it is
now held annually at the Flatt Farm.
