William Maxwell | |
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5th Earl of Nithsdale | |
Tenure | 1683–1716 |
Predecessor | Robert Maxwell, 4th Earl of Nithsdale |
Successor | Title forfeited |
Born | 1676 Terregles Castle, Kirkcudbrightshire |
Died | 2 March 1744 Rome, Papal States (now Italy) | (aged 67–68)
Noble family | Maxwell |
Spouse(s) | |
Issue | William Maxwell, Lord Maxwell Anne Bellew, Baroness Bellew |
Father | Robert Maxwell, 4th Earl of Nithsdale |
Mother | Lady Lucy Douglas |
William Maxwell, 5th Earl of Nithsdale (1676 – 2 March 1744), was a Roman Catholic member of the Scottish nobility who took part in the Jacobite rising of 1715. He was attainted with his titles forfeited. However, Lord Nithsdale made a celebrated escape from the Tower of London by changing clothes with his wife's maid the day before he was due to be executed. The lordship of Herries of Terregles was later restored to his descendants and remains extant.