The earliest building which forms part of the current ruins was built in the 14th century.

Torthorwald Castle was originally owned by Sir David Torthorwald in the 13th Century, some of his descendants supported the English army during the First War of Scottish Independence, because of it, King Robert the Bruce confiscated the lands in 1306 and granted them to Sir John de Soules (Guardian of Scotland), but he died in After John's death in Ireland in 1310, after it passed to the Scottish clan, when Humphrey de Kirkpatrick acquired the lands in 1326, and they started the stone structure of the castle that became the Torthowarld castle.

In 1544 the castle was attacked by Michael Lord Carlyle and sacked, in his raid against his sister-in-law, Jonet Scrimgeour.

[1] Michael Lord Carlyle retained the castle until the latter decades of the sixteenth century.

In 1609 the ownership of the castle passed from Michael Carlyle to his half brother Douglases of Parkhead since then became property of the Douglas family, the last resident of the castle was Archibald Douglas of Dornock whom lived there until 1630.