{{Infobox noble, type , name = Winifred Maxwell , title = Countess of Nithsdale , image = File:Winifred Maxwell, Countess of Nithsdale.jpg , caption = , alt = , CoA = , more = no , succession = , reign = 1699–1716 , reign-type = Tenure , predecessor = Lucy Douglas , successor = ''Title forfeited'' , suc-type = , spouse = {{marriage,

William Maxwell, 5th Earl of Nithsdale {{Infobox noble, type , name = William Maxwell , title = 5th Earl of Nithsdale , image = , caption = , alt = , CoA = , more = no , succession ...

, 1699, 1744, end=d. , spouse-type = , issue = , issue-link = , issue-pipe = , full name = , native_name = , styles = , titles = , noble family =

Herbert Herbert may refer to: People Individuals * Herbert (musician), a pseudonym of Matthew Herbert Name * Herbert (given name) * Herbert (surname) Places Antarctica * Herbert Mountains, Coats Land * Herbert Sound, Graham Land Australia * Herbert ...

(by birth)
Maxwell (by marriage) , house-type = , father =

William Herbert, 1st Marquess of Powis William Herbert, 1st Marquess of Powis, PC (16262 June 1696) was an English nobleman, best remembered for his suffering during the Popish Plot. He succeeded his father as 3rd Baron Powis in 1667 and was created Earl of Powis in 1674 by King C ...

, mother = Lady Elizabeth Somerset , birth_name = Winifred Herbert , birth_date = c. 1680 , birth_place = , christening_date = , christening_place = , death_date = {{Death year and age, 1749, 1680 , death_place =

Rome , established_title = Founded , established_date = 753 BC , founder = King Romulus (legendary) , image_map = Map of comune of Rome (metropolitan city of Capital Rome, region Lazio, Italy).svg , map_caption ...

Italy Italy ( it, Italia ), officially the Italian Republic, ) or the Republic of Italy, is a country in Southern Europe. It is located in the middle of the Mediterranean Sea, and its territory largely coincides with the homonymous geographical re ...

, burial_date = , burial_place = , religion =

Roman Catholic Roman or Romans most often refers to: *Rome, the capital city of Italy *Ancient Rome, Roman civilization from 8th century BC to 5th century AD *Roman people, the people of ancient Rome *'' Epistle to the Romans'', shortened to ''Romans'', a lette ...

, occupation = , memorials = , website = , module = Winifred Maxwell, Countess of Nithsdale (née Lady Winifred Herbert; c. 1680–1749), is best known for arranging the daring escape of her husband,

William Maxwell, 5th Earl of Nithsdale {{Infobox noble, type , name = William Maxwell , title = 5th Earl of Nithsdale , image = , caption = , alt = , CoA = , more = no , succession ...

, from the

Tower of London The Tower of London, officially His Majesty's Royal Palace and Fortress of the Tower of London, is a historic castle on the north bank of the River Thames in central London. It lies within the London Borough of Tower Hamlets, which is separa ...

in 1716. Her father was the 1st Marquess of Powis, and on 2 March 1699, she married the 5th Earl of Nithsdale, a Catholic nobleman. The couple had met at the French court, where Lady Winifred's father was in exile, while Nithsdale was paying his respects to the former King

James II of England James VII and II (14 October 1633 16 September 1701) was King of England and King of Ireland as James II, and King of Scotland as James VII from the death of his elder brother, Charles II, on 6 February 1685. He was deposed in the Gloriou ...

(James VII of Scotland). While resident at

Terregles Terregles () is a village and civil parish near Dumfries, in Dumfries and Galloway, Scotland. It lies in the former county of Kirkcudbrightshire. The name Terregles, recorded as ''Travereglis'' in 1359, is from Cumbric ''*trev-ïr-eglẹ:s''. '' ...

, Dumfriesshire, Scotland, the couple had five children. In 1715, Nithsdale joined the

Jacobite rebellion , war = , image = Prince James Francis Edward Stuart by Louis Gabriel Blanchet.jpg , image_size = 150px , caption = James Francis Edward Stuart, Jacobite claimant between 1701 and 1766 , active ...

, but he was captured at the Battle of Preston and sent to the

. Having been tried for

treason Treason is the crime of attacking a state authority to which one owes allegiance. This typically includes acts such as participating in a war against one's native country, attempting to overthrow its government, spying on its military, its diplo ...

, he was sentenced to death. Winifred, who was at Terregles when she heard of the capture of her husband, followed him to London, making part of the journey on horseback in bitter winter weather. She presented a petition to

George I George I or 1 may refer to: People * Patriarch George I of Alexandria (fl. 621–631) * George I of Constantinople (d. 686) * George I of Antioch (d. 790) * George I of Abkhazia (ruled 872/3–878/9) * George I of Georgia (d. 1027) * Yuri Dolgor ...

which he refused to receive, and when she knelt before him and took hold of his coat he dragged her half across the room before he could break away. Knowing that there would be no pardon, the countess laid a meticulous plan to rescue her husband from the

.{{EB1911, inline=y, wstitle=Nithsdale, William Maxwell, 5th Earl of, volume=19, page=711 The night before the day appointed for William's execution (24 February 1716), with the help of two other Jacobite ladies, Winifred effected his escape from the Tower. She had been admitted to his room, and by exchanging clothes with her maid (including the "Nithsdale Cloak", which is still held by the family), he escaped the attention of his guards. He fled to France, while the countess returned to Scotland to ensure the transfer of the estate to their son. She joined him in to France, and they went from there to Rome in the retinue of the

Old Pretender James Francis Edward Stuart (10 June 16881 January 1766), nicknamed the Old Pretender by Whigs, was the son of King James II and VII of England, Scotland and Ireland, and his second wife, Mary of Modena. He was Prince of Wales fro ...

.{{sfn, Chisholm, 1911 In Rome, she survived her husband by about five years.{{sfn, Herbermann, 1913

In Literature

The story of how Winifred Maxwell contrived her husband's escape from the Tower of London inspired

James Hogg James Hogg (1770 – 21 November 1835) was a Scottish poet, novelist and essayist who wrote in both Scots and English. As a young man he worked as a shepherd and farmhand, and was largely self-educated through reading. He was a friend of many ...

's ''Ballad of the Lord Maxwell'' first published in the ''Royal Lady's Magazine'' in October 1831.Hunter, Adrian (ed.) (2020), ''James Hogg: Contributions to English, Irish and American Periodicals'',

Edinburgh University Press Edinburgh University Press is a scholarly publisher of academic books and journals, based in Edinburgh, Scotland. History Edinburgh University Press was founded in the 1940s and became a wholly owned subsidiary of the University of Edinburgh ...

, pp. 68 - 76 & 226, {{isbn, 9780748695980

References

{{reflist

External links

* {{CathEncy, wstitle=Winifred Maxwell {{authority control {{DEFAULTSORT:Nithsdale, Winifred Herbert, Countess of 1680s births 1749 deaths Winifred Herbert Scottish countesses Daughters of British marquesses English Jacobites People of the Jacobite rising of 1715 17th-century Scottish people 17th-century Scottish women 18th-century Scottish people 18th-century Scottish women