Torrance Castle (3)
This view is from the south of the castle, on the edge of the golf course. Only the tallest part of the building on the right is part of the original towerhouse, the lower wing, despite its fancy string-coursing, is a later addition.
Torrance was originally owned by a family of that name, although before the present castle was built. There are indications that there was a motte and bailey type castle here, and there must also have been an earlier stone castle - probably the usual oblong keep. The Torrance family line ended in the 15th century, and the property had passed by marriage to Thomas Hamilton by 1465, whose descendants held it for the next two centuries and must have been the builders of the present towerhouse.
There is a date-stone that states that the castle was built in 1605, however most authorities consider this a little late for the style of the castle, and a date in the latter half of the 16th century is more likely. The previous stone castle is said to have been burned by the English troops sent to support the Regent Moray after the Battle of Langside in 1568. While stone buildings were often easy to restore after being burned, this date probably indicates the date at which construction of the new towerhouse began - and perhaps its construction did drag on for 35 years until completed in 1605.
Torrance Castle (3)
This view is from the south of the castle, on the edge of the golf course. Only the tallest part of the building on the right is part of the original towerhouse, the lower wing, despite its fancy string-coursing, is a later addition.
Torrance was originally owned by a family of that name, although before the present castle was built. There are indications that there was a motte and bailey type castle here, and there must also have been an earlier stone castle - probably the usual oblong keep. The Torrance family line ended in the 15th century, and the property had passed by marriage to Thomas Hamilton by 1465, whose descendants held it for the next two centuries and must have been the builders of the present towerhouse.
There is a date-stone that states that the castle was built in 1605, however most authorities consider this a little late for the style of the castle, and a date in the latter half of the 16th century is more likely. The previous stone castle is said to have been burned by the English troops sent to support the Regent Moray after the Battle of Langside in 1568. While stone buildings were often easy to restore after being burned, this date probably indicates the date at which construction of the new towerhouse began - and perhaps its construction did drag on for 35 years until completed in 1605.