- the name of a particular storm. In the Transactions of the Hawick Archaeological Society of 1873, there is an account of a great storm known as the ‘Goniel Blast’, a name derived from the number of sheep that died as a result of the storm. A goniel is a sheep that is found dead, and much decayed. The ancient established custom in the Cheviot district dictates that, if the carcase hangs together when held up by the hind legs and shaken vigorously, then it belongs to the farmer, but, if it falls to pieces, it is a perquisite of the shepherd.