Beautiful Winifred Maxwell, the wife of the 5th Earl of Nithsdale, is regarded lovingly in Scotland for her courage and strength of character. She showed incredible bravery by calmly helping her husband escape from a dreadful fate. Her story has inspired novels, plays, and biographies.
Winifred Herbert met her husband, William Maxwell, at the court of the exiled King James II in France. They both came from loyal Catholic aristocratic families at a time when Catholics were regarded with suspicion and mistrust in Scotland and England. James II had been replaced by the Protestant King William in the Glorious Revolution of 1688 largely because of his liking for the Roman Catholic religion.
Winifred Marries Wiliam Maxwell
The young couple married and lived at the Scottish house of Terregles in Dumfriesshire. Here they had five children. Their neighbours were mainly strict Presbyterians who suspected the Nithsdales of holding secret Masses and hiding priests. An armed mob frightened the Nithsdales in 1703 by looking for Jesuits. The family was attempting to enjoy their Christmas celebrations when the disturbance occurred.
William Maxwell proclaimed the Old Pretender the King and joined the Jacobite Rising of 1715. They were defeated by the English forces in the Battle of Preston. Maxwell was taken prisoner and sent to the Tower. He was tried for treason and sentenced to death. When Lady Maxwell, who was still only thirty-six, learned the news she resolved to help her husband. She planned to plead with the King for mercy.
Lord Nithsdale’s Escape
Lady Nithsdale travelled the long distance from Terregles to London determined to save her husband. She was only accompanied by her maid. When she reached London, she sneaked into the King’s palace and personally begged him to free Lord Nithsdale. Lady Nithsdale even held tightly to the King’s coat when he refused to listen to her and ended up being dragged across the floor! She had to be pulled away by two guards.
After this, she thought of her daring escape plan. The courageous young woman convinced Lord Nithsdale’s guards that he was on the verge of being freed and became friendly with them by plying them with food and drink. She told them that his petition for mercy was sure to be successful.
Lady Nithsdale’s friends helped her assist her husband to escape by wearing the clothes that he needed and confusing the guards. She dressed him in women’s clothing, including the famous ‘Nithsdale Cloak’, placed a wig of yellow ringlets on his head, and painted him with rouge and makeup. She walked down the stairs with him. He hid his face under the cloak and managed to avoid the attention of the guards. He travelled to France disguised as a servant of the Venetian Ambassador.
Lady Nithsdale eventually joined her husband in exile where they became part of the Old Pretender’s retinue.
Sources
Lisa Sanderson - Lisa has been a freelance-writer for many years. She used to write for the topic, British Social History, for Suite 101 under the ...
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