The heritors, the substantial landowners of the parish, enjoyed social prominence and local influence. A landowner such as James Pringle of Torwoodlee supported the parish financially. Under ‘public burdens’ in the Torwoodlee accounts may be found payments in respect of the poors’ rates and schoolmasters’ salaries in Stow and Melrose; statute labour assessments for Melrose and Selkirkshire; county rogue money; a share in the payment of the ministers’ stipends in Stow and Melrose and in the assessment on heritors for the upkeep of the manse in Stow. Torwoodlee was also called upon to make occasional extraordinary contributions, as during the cholera epidemic in 1831–1833.

Craig linked the wealthy and the poor within the parish. For all his contact with tenants, weavers and the parish poor, he could write of having the lairds of Gala and Torwoodlee visit his home or of conversing with the laird at church. He shared his subscription to the Literary Gazette with Rev. Nathaniel Paterson (1787–1871) and Rev. James Henderson (1797–1874). His social reach was such that he could write to the duke of Buccleuch, or Sir Walter Scott, as readily as to a gamekeeper, dry-stone dyker, or errant son failing to support his poor mother.

As law agent for heritors in Galashiels, Stow, Duns and other parishes, he had wide experience of heritors’ meetings and knowledge of those who served as clerk. Professionally, this gave him useful understanding of affairs across at least three counties and allowed him the opportunity to be involved in projects of social or economic benefit. An example was a proposal in 1827 to extend the parish church in Galashiels. The builders Sanderson & Paterson planned an extra 300 seats at a cost of £450. Craig, however, wrote to Gala with a revised proposition of his own which would extend the church by 100 seats for about £160. The builders were prepared to cover the cost in return for the rents of the additional seats until their outlay was repaid, plus about 7 per cent interest. Craig thought this ‘a very safe speculation’ because the return was entirely at the builders’ risk, and ‘at the end of 15 or 16 years the property will become the heritors’ & the people sit free’.