George Craig (1783–1843) was baron bailie of Galashiels in the Scottish Borders but is today paradoxically best known for being unknown despite having a bridge named after him. Who, then, was George Craig? That we now have a much better answer to that question is due to the discovery of Craig's letter books not long after the George Craig Bridge was opened in 2010. This book draws on this resource to reveal Borders life and legal practice in the period between 1821 and 1840.

Craig was a banker, a law agent and many things besides. This chapter will sketch out his life and working environment and highlight some of the major clients whose affairs feature prominently in his correspondence. Characteristic of Craig's life was his interaction with everyone, from the duke of Buccleuch and prominent landowners to weavers, shepherds and the parish poor. What has been left to us, in the papers of the firm Craig & Rutherford, illustrates an important era in the development of Galashiels but, as we shall see, Craig's reach went far beyond one small town.

FAMILY AND BACKGROUND

In 1717 William Craig and his wife, Margaret Donaldson, had a son, George (d. 1781). George married Mary (or Marion) Paterson in Galashiels in December 1747. He was given a ninety-nine-year lease of property by John Scott (1732–1785), sixth laird of Gala in 1778, at an annual rent of six shillings. George, who became a member of the merchant community, had three sons: George jr (b. 1751), William (1753–1803) and James (b. 1755). A court case in 1800, concerning the lease to this house, provides further hints as to the family background. George jr, who had moved to Calcutta, claimed the lease, as heir to his father, with the support of his brother William. This was contested by their mother and brother James whose claim was based on a will made in 1781, in favour of the mother, which appears to have been invalid. George prevailed and it was William, probably as his assignee, who obtained the lease in 1801, although fraternal ill feeling seems to have subsisted on the part of James.