The carved stone above the door records that Haggs was built in 1585 by Sir John Maxwell of Pollok and his wife Margaret Conyngham (Cunningham). It was built to replace the Maxwells' former residence, the Laigh Castle, a 14th-century building which stood to the west. Although built as the Maxwells' main residence, it was later used as a jointure house, or dower house, being occupied by the lord's widow. The Maxwells, a covenanting family, were fined for nonconformist activities, although the change of government resulting from the revolution of 1688 saved them from paying up. In 1753 Haggs in turn was replaced as a residence and abandoned when Pollok House was completed.