William Maxwell, 5th Earl of Nithsdale
William Maxwell | |
|---|---|
| 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 (aged 67–68) Rome, Papal States (now Italy) |
| Noble family | Maxwell |
| Spouse(s) |
Lady Winifred Herbert (m. 1699) |
| 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
Early life
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He was the eldest son of Robert, fourth Earl of Nithsdale (1627/28–1683), and Lady Lucie Douglas (died 1713), daughter of William, eleventh earl of Angus and first Marquess of Douglas. He was probably born at Terregles Castle, near Dumfries. The early death of his father ensured that he was raised by his mother, the Dowager Countess, who educated him to be a faithful and conventionally devout Roman Catholic and a partisan of the Stuart cause.
Jacobite supporter
On reaching the age of 21, in 1697, and becoming earl, he secretly visited the Jacobite court at
Despite his discretion, he was long suspected of Jacobite sympathies. In 1712 he resigned his estate to his son William (died 1776), reserving a life rent to himself.[1] In the Jacobite rising of 1715, after some hesitation, he proclaimed James III and VIII at Dumfries and Jedburgh, before joining the main Jacobite forces at Hexham under General Thomas Forster. Nithsdale was captured at Preston together with other Jacobite leaders, sent to London,[2] tried and found guilty of treason, and sentenced to death on 9 February 1716.
His devoted countess Winifred, who was at their home in
In literature
The story of the Earl of Nithsdale's escape from the Tower of London inspired James Hogg's Ballad of the Lord Maxwell first published in the Royal Lady's Magazine in October 1831.[4]
References
- ^ a b One or more of the preceding sentences incorporates text from a publication now in the public domain: Chisholm, Hugh, ed. (1911). "Nithsdale, William Maxwell, 5th Earl of". Encyclopædia Britannica. Vol. 19 (11th ed.). Cambridge University Press. p. 711.
- ^ a b Chisholm 1911.
- ^ Herbermann, Charles, ed. (1913). . Catholic Encyclopedia. New York: Robert Appleton Company.
- ISBN 9780748695980
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