1 00:00:00,240 --> 00:00:04,640 Speaker 1: Welcome to Noble Blood, a production of iHeartRadio and Grimm 2 00:00:04,640 --> 00:00:11,800 Speaker 1: and Mild from Aaron Mankie listener Discretion advised for the 3 00:00:11,840 --> 00:00:15,880 Speaker 1: guards at the Tower of London. February twenty third, seventeen 4 00:00:15,960 --> 00:00:20,320 Speaker 1: sixteen was a day like any other. A despondent wife 5 00:00:20,560 --> 00:00:24,480 Speaker 1: came to visit her husband, who was scheduled for execution. 6 00:00:25,200 --> 00:00:27,800 Speaker 1: The wife had brought a few family friends with her 7 00:00:28,160 --> 00:00:32,040 Speaker 1: and they each took turns visiting with the prisoner. The 8 00:00:32,080 --> 00:00:35,320 Speaker 1: guards listened at the door as the woman said goodbye 9 00:00:35,360 --> 00:00:38,600 Speaker 1: to her husband for the last time, giving her a 10 00:00:38,600 --> 00:00:42,519 Speaker 1: bit of privacy and the couple there alone time. The 11 00:00:42,640 --> 00:00:46,199 Speaker 1: next morning, the guards came to collect the prisoner to 12 00:00:46,280 --> 00:00:49,520 Speaker 1: bring him to the scaffold. But when they opened his cell, 13 00:00:50,240 --> 00:00:51,040 Speaker 1: they gasped. 14 00:00:51,680 --> 00:00:56,440 Speaker 2: It was empty. The prisoner was gone. How could that be? 15 00:00:57,160 --> 00:00:59,880 Speaker 2: He had been in his cell talking with his wife 16 00:01:00,200 --> 00:01:04,640 Speaker 2: just hours before. What the guards didn't know was that 17 00:01:04,720 --> 00:01:09,399 Speaker 2: this prisoner's wife was no ordinary woman. She was a 18 00:01:09,440 --> 00:01:13,080 Speaker 2: woman of indomitable spirit who wasn't going to take a 19 00:01:13,240 --> 00:01:17,320 Speaker 2: death sentence lying down. When she had been visiting her 20 00:01:17,400 --> 00:01:22,280 Speaker 2: husband's cell earlier, she had been talking to herself. Her 21 00:01:22,360 --> 00:01:25,800 Speaker 2: husband was already making his way out of the tower 22 00:01:26,360 --> 00:01:30,520 Speaker 2: thanks to one of the most creative and audacious prison 23 00:01:30,560 --> 00:01:36,280 Speaker 2: breaks in history. I'm Danish Sports and this is noble blood. 24 00:01:40,520 --> 00:01:45,440 Speaker 2: Winifred Maxwell was born in sixteen seventy two, the youngest 25 00:01:45,480 --> 00:01:49,840 Speaker 2: of six children. Her parents were devoted courtiers of King 26 00:01:50,000 --> 00:01:54,280 Speaker 2: James the Second. Once James was ousted in sixteen eighty 27 00:01:54,320 --> 00:01:57,640 Speaker 2: eight in what would become known as the Glorious Revolution, 28 00:01:58,360 --> 00:02:03,360 Speaker 2: Winnifred's parents moved to France, where Winifred met her future husband. 29 00:02:04,200 --> 00:02:08,600 Speaker 2: William Maxwell, was a Scottish nobleman who, as you might imagine, 30 00:02:08,960 --> 00:02:13,840 Speaker 2: was also from a family of longtime Stuart supporters. With 31 00:02:13,919 --> 00:02:19,079 Speaker 2: their family politics lining up quite conveniently, Winifred and William 32 00:02:19,160 --> 00:02:23,360 Speaker 2: fell in love and were married in sixteen ninety nine. 33 00:02:23,440 --> 00:02:28,239 Speaker 2: The Maxwell clan were power players in British history for centuries, 34 00:02:28,680 --> 00:02:32,840 Speaker 2: known mostly for their fighting abilities. The Maxwell men were 35 00:02:32,919 --> 00:02:37,640 Speaker 2: renowned fighters, and we could speculate that Winifred's spirited nature 36 00:02:38,080 --> 00:02:41,200 Speaker 2: made her a natural match for the man who would 37 00:02:41,200 --> 00:02:47,600 Speaker 2: eventually become the fifth Earl of Nithsdale. Shortly after their marriage, 38 00:02:47,960 --> 00:02:52,200 Speaker 2: Winifred and William settled into a comfortable noble life at 39 00:02:52,200 --> 00:02:56,239 Speaker 2: their manor house in Scotland. They had five children, two 40 00:02:56,240 --> 00:03:00,679 Speaker 2: of whom would survive to adulthood. Aside from those losses, 41 00:03:00,800 --> 00:03:04,880 Speaker 2: which were no doubt significant, life on the manor was 42 00:03:05,000 --> 00:03:09,520 Speaker 2: quiet and largely uneventful for the better part of fifteen years. 43 00:03:10,360 --> 00:03:13,880 Speaker 2: And then King George the First was crowned King of 44 00:03:13,919 --> 00:03:19,640 Speaker 2: England and things got a lot more complicated. For a 45 00:03:19,680 --> 00:03:23,840 Speaker 2: bit of background here, Queen Anne had died, leaving no successor, 46 00:03:24,240 --> 00:03:29,080 Speaker 2: and Parliament appointed as her successor George of Hanover, a 47 00:03:29,200 --> 00:03:32,519 Speaker 2: distant cousin of Queen Anne, who happened to have the 48 00:03:32,639 --> 00:03:38,120 Speaker 2: qualification of being a Protestant. Electing a Protestant German who 49 00:03:38,160 --> 00:03:41,640 Speaker 2: spoke no English to the throne was the not so 50 00:03:41,840 --> 00:03:46,040 Speaker 2: subtle nail in the coffin of the Stuart line. Since 51 00:03:46,080 --> 00:03:50,480 Speaker 2: the Stuarts were by and large devout Catholics. A group 52 00:03:50,560 --> 00:03:56,440 Speaker 2: of Scottish lords immediately began planning a rebellion. Calling themselves Jacobites, 53 00:03:56,880 --> 00:04:00,600 Speaker 2: a derivation of the name James. They formed a plan 54 00:04:00,720 --> 00:04:04,520 Speaker 2: to overthrow the foreign king and put in his place 55 00:04:04,640 --> 00:04:09,320 Speaker 2: the son of their beloved James the Second. The rebels 56 00:04:09,320 --> 00:04:12,320 Speaker 2: would need all the help they could get, so naturally 57 00:04:12,400 --> 00:04:15,640 Speaker 2: they came calling for the son of one of Scotland's 58 00:04:15,680 --> 00:04:22,920 Speaker 2: most notorious fighting families. William Maxwell wasn't necessarily excited to 59 00:04:23,080 --> 00:04:26,839 Speaker 2: leave his peaceful manner home and take up arms against 60 00:04:26,839 --> 00:04:29,919 Speaker 2: a sea of troubles, but how could he say no. 61 00:04:30,720 --> 00:04:35,680 Speaker 2: His family's longtime support of the Stuarts was a cornerstone 62 00:04:35,800 --> 00:04:40,640 Speaker 2: of its legacy. Winifred also came from a family of Jacobites, 63 00:04:41,040 --> 00:04:45,160 Speaker 2: so she could hardly have discouraged him. Their reputation in 64 00:04:45,200 --> 00:04:48,640 Speaker 2: Scotland would be forever tainted if they didn't lend their 65 00:04:48,680 --> 00:04:53,720 Speaker 2: support to the cause, and so William joined in the fight, 66 00:04:54,279 --> 00:04:59,400 Speaker 2: leaving Winifred and the children at home. Unfortunately, the Jacobite 67 00:04:59,400 --> 00:05:03,880 Speaker 2: Rebellion of seventeen fifteen was pretty much over as soon 68 00:05:03,920 --> 00:05:09,680 Speaker 2: as it started. The operation was poorly organized and lacked resources, 69 00:05:09,720 --> 00:05:13,000 Speaker 2: and the whole thing fell apart in a matter of months, 70 00:05:13,360 --> 00:05:16,839 Speaker 2: and the group was easily defeated by the British Army. 71 00:05:17,839 --> 00:05:21,160 Speaker 2: William was a part of a group of noblemen and 72 00:05:21,360 --> 00:05:26,080 Speaker 2: key insurgents that was brought to London and imprisoned in 73 00:05:26,279 --> 00:05:31,520 Speaker 2: the Infamous Tower. Both Parliament and the new King wanted 74 00:05:31,560 --> 00:05:34,920 Speaker 2: to move on from the rebellion and keep the peace 75 00:05:35,279 --> 00:05:38,520 Speaker 2: between England and Scotland. But they also knew that they 76 00:05:38,560 --> 00:05:42,360 Speaker 2: couldn't just ignore the rebellion that just happened. A few 77 00:05:42,360 --> 00:05:46,320 Speaker 2: people had to be made an example of, if for 78 00:05:46,480 --> 00:05:51,440 Speaker 2: no other reason than to discourage future uprisings. It was 79 00:05:51,520 --> 00:05:56,280 Speaker 2: decided that the seven most powerful leaders would go to trial. 80 00:05:57,040 --> 00:06:02,400 Speaker 2: Unluckily for Winifred, her husband William was powerful enough to qualify. 81 00:06:03,000 --> 00:06:07,200 Speaker 2: He remained locked in the Tower of London awaiting his trial. 82 00:06:08,240 --> 00:06:11,120 Speaker 2: Winnifred had been busy getting the manner ready for the 83 00:06:11,160 --> 00:06:15,400 Speaker 2: holidays just days before Christmas in seventeen fifteen, when she 84 00:06:15,520 --> 00:06:20,520 Speaker 2: received word of William's capture. Like the industrious woman she was, 85 00:06:20,920 --> 00:06:24,479 Speaker 2: she first made sure to safely hide any documents that 86 00:06:24,640 --> 00:06:28,480 Speaker 2: might have incriminated either William or herself, and after that 87 00:06:29,160 --> 00:06:34,880 Speaker 2: she began to make a plan. Winnifred Maxwell wasn't content 88 00:06:35,080 --> 00:06:37,880 Speaker 2: to sit at home and let her husband sit locked 89 00:06:37,960 --> 00:06:40,960 Speaker 2: up in the Tower of London waiting for his fate 90 00:06:41,040 --> 00:06:45,320 Speaker 2: to be decided by Parliament and the King. By all accounts, 91 00:06:45,360 --> 00:06:48,840 Speaker 2: she and William were devoted to each other, and no 92 00:06:48,960 --> 00:06:51,839 Speaker 2: doubt she was terrified by the news that the father 93 00:06:51,960 --> 00:06:55,520 Speaker 2: of her children was facing trial as a trader. To 94 00:06:55,560 --> 00:07:00,360 Speaker 2: the throne. In addition to this completely normal response, there 95 00:07:00,440 --> 00:07:03,520 Speaker 2: also may have been part of Winifred that was used 96 00:07:03,560 --> 00:07:06,960 Speaker 2: to cleaning up her husband's messes, but a little more 97 00:07:06,960 --> 00:07:11,280 Speaker 2: on that later in the episode. Winnifred knew that she 98 00:07:11,400 --> 00:07:14,960 Speaker 2: had to act quickly, so she and her maid, Cecilia 99 00:07:15,040 --> 00:07:20,000 Speaker 2: Evans set off for London. The journey was long and arduous. 100 00:07:20,320 --> 00:07:25,360 Speaker 2: The winter of seventeen fifteen and seventeen sixteen was especially brutal, 101 00:07:25,760 --> 00:07:29,200 Speaker 2: with heavy storms that dumped so much snow onto the 102 00:07:29,320 --> 00:07:33,040 Speaker 2: roads that Winnifred and missus Evans were unable to take 103 00:07:33,080 --> 00:07:37,160 Speaker 2: the family carriage. Winifred, not the type to ever take 104 00:07:37,240 --> 00:07:40,320 Speaker 2: no for an answer, changed her plan and the two 105 00:07:40,360 --> 00:07:45,480 Speaker 2: women set off on horseback. Vicious winds and brutal temperatures 106 00:07:45,480 --> 00:07:49,280 Speaker 2: accompanied them every step of the way. The journey lasted 107 00:07:49,360 --> 00:07:54,000 Speaker 2: over two weeks and included switching up their plans multiple 108 00:07:54,040 --> 00:07:58,240 Speaker 2: times to accommodate the nightmarish weather. It played out like 109 00:07:58,320 --> 00:08:03,160 Speaker 2: a twisted version of planes, trains, and automobiles, minus the 110 00:08:03,360 --> 00:08:08,520 Speaker 2: modern conveniences, and with the very real possibility of freezing 111 00:08:08,680 --> 00:08:12,640 Speaker 2: to death, and instead of a family Thanksgiving dinner waiting 112 00:08:12,720 --> 00:08:16,120 Speaker 2: on the other side, it was a husband being tried 113 00:08:16,240 --> 00:08:20,480 Speaker 2: for treason, possibly awaiting execution in the Tower of London. 114 00:08:21,720 --> 00:08:25,760 Speaker 2: There was also the very real possibility that Winnifred would 115 00:08:25,800 --> 00:08:28,600 Speaker 2: arrive to London and be greeted with the news that 116 00:08:28,760 --> 00:08:32,960 Speaker 2: William had already been executed while she was on the road. 117 00:08:33,880 --> 00:08:37,439 Speaker 2: But when she and Missus Evans did arrive in London, 118 00:08:37,920 --> 00:08:42,720 Speaker 2: Winnifred was greeted with an extreme case of good news 119 00:08:42,840 --> 00:08:46,800 Speaker 2: bad news. The good news is your husband is still alive. 120 00:08:47,400 --> 00:08:51,360 Speaker 2: The bad news is he's facing trial for his crimes 121 00:08:51,400 --> 00:08:55,600 Speaker 2: against the Crown and things aren't looking good. The two 122 00:08:55,600 --> 00:09:00,319 Speaker 2: women found lodging with a Jacobean sympathizer known as Missus Mills, 123 00:09:00,720 --> 00:09:06,520 Speaker 2: and Winifred began her campaign to emancipate her husband, employing 124 00:09:06,679 --> 00:09:11,040 Speaker 2: the same energy she displayed when traveling hundreds of miles 125 00:09:11,080 --> 00:09:15,840 Speaker 2: through a snowstorm. Winnifred got to work. First on her 126 00:09:15,880 --> 00:09:20,000 Speaker 2: to do list was reuniting with her husband. Lord Maxwell 127 00:09:20,160 --> 00:09:23,760 Speaker 2: was being held in the VIP section of the tower, 128 00:09:24,240 --> 00:09:29,520 Speaker 2: known then as the Lieutenant's Lodgings, later renamed the Queen's House. 129 00:09:30,160 --> 00:09:35,840 Speaker 2: Notable tenants included one time Queen Ann moln and Guy Fox, 130 00:09:36,760 --> 00:09:40,880 Speaker 2: neither of them had come out of the tower alive. Incidentally, 131 00:09:41,920 --> 00:09:46,000 Speaker 2: Winnifred's next order of business was to be the squeakiest 132 00:09:46,040 --> 00:09:50,000 Speaker 2: wheel that Parliament had ever heard. She drew up an 133 00:09:50,080 --> 00:09:54,400 Speaker 2: appeal on her husband's behalf and became a constant fixture 134 00:09:54,520 --> 00:09:58,240 Speaker 2: in the House of Lords. Her fervent dedication to Lord 135 00:09:58,320 --> 00:10:02,720 Speaker 2: Maxwell didn't go an noticed, and if she'd had more time, 136 00:10:03,240 --> 00:10:05,720 Speaker 2: she may have been able to free her husband on 137 00:10:06,040 --> 00:10:10,920 Speaker 2: charm alone. But time was not on her side. The 138 00:10:11,040 --> 00:10:15,280 Speaker 2: trial was swift and merciless, with six of the seven 139 00:10:15,360 --> 00:10:21,640 Speaker 2: men found guilty and sentenced to death, William included. Winifred 140 00:10:21,679 --> 00:10:24,960 Speaker 2: appealed the decision before the House of Commons, where it 141 00:10:25,120 --> 00:10:29,640 Speaker 2: failed by only a handful of votes. Thanks to efforts 142 00:10:29,720 --> 00:10:33,720 Speaker 2: like hers, the country was becoming very invested in the 143 00:10:33,720 --> 00:10:38,480 Speaker 2: fate of the Scottish rebels, with tensions rising between those 144 00:10:38,520 --> 00:10:41,960 Speaker 2: who wanted them freed and those who sought what they 145 00:10:42,000 --> 00:10:46,800 Speaker 2: saw as justice. King George himself got involved and tried 146 00:10:46,840 --> 00:10:50,360 Speaker 2: to smooth things over by pardoning three of the six 147 00:10:50,440 --> 00:10:54,439 Speaker 2: men awaiting execution. Those three men received their royal pardon 148 00:10:54,520 --> 00:10:58,920 Speaker 2: and walked free, but William was not one of them. He, 149 00:10:59,280 --> 00:11:02,800 Speaker 2: along with two others, was set to meet his maker 150 00:11:03,280 --> 00:11:09,240 Speaker 2: in just under three weeks. William begged for mercy, claiming 151 00:11:09,360 --> 00:11:12,880 Speaker 2: that he had been dragged, kicking and screaming into the rebellion, 152 00:11:13,360 --> 00:11:17,440 Speaker 2: but the King's decision was final. An example had to 153 00:11:17,480 --> 00:11:21,439 Speaker 2: be made, and noble William was one of the unlucky 154 00:11:21,520 --> 00:11:25,840 Speaker 2: few were chosen to make it. At this point, most 155 00:11:26,000 --> 00:11:29,920 Speaker 2: women would have visited their priests and gotten their husband's 156 00:11:29,920 --> 00:11:34,840 Speaker 2: affairs in order, but Winifred wasn't most women. She took 157 00:11:34,840 --> 00:11:38,280 Speaker 2: her business straight to the king. Clutching a copy of 158 00:11:38,320 --> 00:11:41,679 Speaker 2: the petition she'd written on behalf of William. She dressed 159 00:11:41,720 --> 00:11:45,640 Speaker 2: as a servant and snuck in through the back door 160 00:11:45,800 --> 00:11:50,679 Speaker 2: of Saint James's Palace, pretending to clean. She made her 161 00:11:50,720 --> 00:11:55,120 Speaker 2: way through the many, many palace rooms until she found 162 00:11:55,320 --> 00:12:00,200 Speaker 2: King George. She ambushed the unsuspecting monarch and began and 163 00:12:00,240 --> 00:12:05,120 Speaker 2: to plead her case, but George understandably wanted nothing to 164 00:12:05,160 --> 00:12:09,880 Speaker 2: do with the loud woman dressed in servants clothes, who 165 00:12:10,200 --> 00:12:15,080 Speaker 2: threw herself quite literally at his feet. According to Winifred's 166 00:12:15,080 --> 00:12:19,080 Speaker 2: own account of these events, written years later, King George 167 00:12:19,160 --> 00:12:23,160 Speaker 2: tried to get away, she writes, seeing that he wanted 168 00:12:23,200 --> 00:12:26,600 Speaker 2: to go off without taking my petition. I caught hold 169 00:12:26,679 --> 00:12:29,360 Speaker 2: of the skirt of his coat that he might stop 170 00:12:29,400 --> 00:12:33,120 Speaker 2: and hear me. He endeavored to escape out of my hands, 171 00:12:33,320 --> 00:12:36,520 Speaker 2: but I kept such a strong hold that he dragged 172 00:12:36,520 --> 00:12:39,040 Speaker 2: me on my knees from the middle of the room 173 00:12:39,320 --> 00:12:42,600 Speaker 2: to the very door of the drawing room. At last, 174 00:12:42,640 --> 00:12:45,840 Speaker 2: one of the servants who attended his majesty took me 175 00:12:45,960 --> 00:12:49,640 Speaker 2: round the waist, while another wrestled the coat from my hands. 176 00:12:50,160 --> 00:12:54,199 Speaker 2: The petition, which I had endeavored to thrust into his pocket, 177 00:12:54,559 --> 00:12:57,400 Speaker 2: fell to the ground in the scuffle, and I almost 178 00:12:57,440 --> 00:13:03,200 Speaker 2: fainted away from grief and disapp appointment. End quote. While 179 00:13:03,240 --> 00:13:08,360 Speaker 2: the admittedly humorous exchange clearly didn't have the desired effect, 180 00:13:08,960 --> 00:13:13,160 Speaker 2: word of the king's harsh treatment of Winifred spread and 181 00:13:13,320 --> 00:13:17,720 Speaker 2: added to the growing public support for this passionate woman 182 00:13:18,000 --> 00:13:20,840 Speaker 2: who would go to any lengths to free the man 183 00:13:20,960 --> 00:13:25,319 Speaker 2: she loved. Sadly, it was too little, too late, and 184 00:13:25,360 --> 00:13:29,840 Speaker 2: by now William's fate was sealed. He wrote letters back 185 00:13:29,880 --> 00:13:32,880 Speaker 2: home to Scotland to try and make sure his possessions 186 00:13:32,880 --> 00:13:35,719 Speaker 2: would go to his son after his death and not 187 00:13:35,800 --> 00:13:39,040 Speaker 2: to the crown. He also prepared the speech he would 188 00:13:39,040 --> 00:13:42,080 Speaker 2: be allowed to give from the scaffold just before being 189 00:13:42,120 --> 00:13:45,360 Speaker 2: put to death. His actions all point to a man 190 00:13:45,440 --> 00:13:49,720 Speaker 2: who had resigned himself to his fate. Fortunately for him, 191 00:13:50,200 --> 00:13:53,880 Speaker 2: his wife had one more trick a per sleeve, and 192 00:13:54,160 --> 00:13:58,400 Speaker 2: this one was a doozy. With the help of her maid, 193 00:13:58,480 --> 00:14:02,760 Speaker 2: Missus Evans, their landlad Missus Mills, and another friend, a 194 00:14:02,800 --> 00:14:07,040 Speaker 2: woman named Missus Morgan, Winifred hatched a plan for a 195 00:14:07,160 --> 00:14:12,160 Speaker 2: jail break like no other. While a typical jail break 196 00:14:12,320 --> 00:14:15,960 Speaker 2: might have involved force or some kind of aggression, the 197 00:14:16,000 --> 00:14:20,400 Speaker 2: women had to rely solely on their intelligence and powers 198 00:14:20,440 --> 00:14:24,720 Speaker 2: of persuasion. Luckily for them, Lady Maxwell had been a 199 00:14:24,840 --> 00:14:29,280 Speaker 2: frequent visitor to the tower over the previous few weeks. 200 00:14:29,320 --> 00:14:32,960 Speaker 2: The guards were familiar with her comings and goings, and 201 00:14:33,240 --> 00:14:39,200 Speaker 2: more importantly, she was familiar with theirs. The Lieutenant's lodgings 202 00:14:39,240 --> 00:14:42,760 Speaker 2: were a hub of activity, with many people in and 203 00:14:42,880 --> 00:14:47,720 Speaker 2: out on any given day. Winifred used that to her advantage, 204 00:14:48,120 --> 00:14:50,720 Speaker 2: as well as the fact that the guards also had 205 00:14:50,920 --> 00:14:55,600 Speaker 2: frequent visitors, usually in the form of wives and girlfriends. 206 00:14:56,280 --> 00:15:00,800 Speaker 2: She knew they were often distracted and preoccupied, and also 207 00:15:00,880 --> 00:15:04,080 Speaker 2: they were no doubt use to this loud woman and 208 00:15:04,160 --> 00:15:08,960 Speaker 2: her drama by now, which was exactly how she wanted it. 209 00:15:10,080 --> 00:15:14,600 Speaker 2: On a cold day in February seventeen sixteen, the day 210 00:15:14,680 --> 00:15:19,200 Speaker 2: before Lord Maxwell was set to be executed, Lady Maxwell 211 00:15:19,280 --> 00:15:22,800 Speaker 2: showed up at the tower for a visit. She brought 212 00:15:22,840 --> 00:15:26,520 Speaker 2: along her three friends and a bottle of cognac, which 213 00:15:26,560 --> 00:15:30,680 Speaker 2: she offered the guards, encouraging them to drink. The guards 214 00:15:30,720 --> 00:15:35,000 Speaker 2: needed little encouragement, especially when Winifred told them that they 215 00:15:35,000 --> 00:15:38,800 Speaker 2: were celebrating. She'd made up a story about a last 216 00:15:38,920 --> 00:15:43,560 Speaker 2: minute appeal, and her high spirits, combined with the spirits 217 00:15:43,600 --> 00:15:47,840 Speaker 2: of the alcohol, put the guards at ease. Then her 218 00:15:47,920 --> 00:15:53,680 Speaker 2: plan really kicked into motion. Because of heightened security, only 219 00:15:53,760 --> 00:15:57,400 Speaker 2: two visitors were allowed into William's cell at a time, 220 00:15:57,880 --> 00:16:01,600 Speaker 2: and so began a sequence of mister direction straight out 221 00:16:01,600 --> 00:16:05,640 Speaker 2: of a French farce, a human shell game that was 222 00:16:05,800 --> 00:16:10,120 Speaker 2: confusing by design. The women went in and out of 223 00:16:10,160 --> 00:16:13,720 Speaker 2: the cell in pairs, talking loudly and full of emotion, 224 00:16:14,360 --> 00:16:17,200 Speaker 2: causing the guards to want to give them their distance. 225 00:16:17,800 --> 00:16:21,880 Speaker 2: What the guards didn't know, of course, was that Missus Morgan, 226 00:16:22,240 --> 00:16:26,360 Speaker 2: the tallest of the women, was wearing two sets of clothes. 227 00:16:27,200 --> 00:16:31,600 Speaker 2: Winifred and Missus Morgan went in first. One can imagine 228 00:16:31,680 --> 00:16:35,280 Speaker 2: William's surprise at seeing his wife's friend enter the cell 229 00:16:35,600 --> 00:16:39,880 Speaker 2: and immediately begin to strip. Once her outer gown and 230 00:16:40,040 --> 00:16:43,720 Speaker 2: cloak were off, Winifred told her husband to put them on. 231 00:16:44,600 --> 00:16:48,680 Speaker 2: William may have hesitated at this outlandish request, but he, 232 00:16:48,960 --> 00:16:52,360 Speaker 2: more than anyone, knew not to interrupt his wife when 233 00:16:52,400 --> 00:16:55,600 Speaker 2: she was in the middle of a plan. As he dressed, 234 00:16:55,920 --> 00:16:59,560 Speaker 2: Winnifred took the real Missus Morgan downstairs and switched her 235 00:16:59,560 --> 00:17:02,880 Speaker 2: out for Missus Mills, who'd been pretending to be in 236 00:17:02,920 --> 00:17:07,000 Speaker 2: a heightened emotional state since she entered the tower. Once 237 00:17:07,080 --> 00:17:10,600 Speaker 2: the new pair were in the cell, Winifred produced some 238 00:17:10,800 --> 00:17:14,840 Speaker 2: makeup and a wig that looked very similar to missus 239 00:17:14,840 --> 00:17:18,439 Speaker 2: mills hair. The women were going in and out of 240 00:17:18,480 --> 00:17:21,120 Speaker 2: the cell at such a rate that the guards gave 241 00:17:21,240 --> 00:17:25,760 Speaker 2: up trying to keep track of them. Finally William's transformation 242 00:17:26,160 --> 00:17:29,919 Speaker 2: was complete, Winifred ordered him to put his head down 243 00:17:30,000 --> 00:17:33,359 Speaker 2: and pretend to weep, as Missus Mills had been doing 244 00:17:33,400 --> 00:17:37,359 Speaker 2: all day. At one point, with Missus Morgan alone in 245 00:17:37,480 --> 00:17:41,000 Speaker 2: the cell pretending to talk to the prisoner, Lord and 246 00:17:41,160 --> 00:17:45,199 Speaker 2: Lady Maxwell marched past the guards and exited the tower 247 00:17:45,560 --> 00:17:49,880 Speaker 2: with Lord Maxwell giving the performance of a lifetime. Winifred 248 00:17:49,920 --> 00:17:53,240 Speaker 2: handed William off to her maid and went back upstairs 249 00:17:53,280 --> 00:17:58,520 Speaker 2: to relieve missus Morgan. Then Winifred stayed alone in the cell, 250 00:17:59,080 --> 00:18:03,720 Speaker 2: loudly having a one sided conversation that sounded to the 251 00:18:03,840 --> 00:18:07,280 Speaker 2: outside observer that she was just a woman talking to 252 00:18:07,359 --> 00:18:11,120 Speaker 2: her husband. All the while, her maid and two friends 253 00:18:11,480 --> 00:18:15,040 Speaker 2: were carrying William away from the tower and to a 254 00:18:15,119 --> 00:18:19,560 Speaker 2: safe house. Once Winnifred had bought them enough time, she 255 00:18:19,760 --> 00:18:23,600 Speaker 2: left her husband's cell. She told the guards and servants 256 00:18:23,640 --> 00:18:26,959 Speaker 2: that he was deep in prayer and preferred not to 257 00:18:27,000 --> 00:18:30,239 Speaker 2: be disturbed. She wished them all a good night and 258 00:18:30,359 --> 00:18:34,480 Speaker 2: left the tower for good, joining William and the others 259 00:18:34,680 --> 00:18:38,440 Speaker 2: at the safe house. The next morning, when the guards 260 00:18:38,480 --> 00:18:42,080 Speaker 2: came to bring Lord Maxwell to his execution, they were 261 00:18:42,160 --> 00:18:46,399 Speaker 2: shocked to find an empty cell. They searched the tower, 262 00:18:46,520 --> 00:18:50,159 Speaker 2: but he was nowhere to be found. Only two of 263 00:18:50,200 --> 00:18:54,199 Speaker 2: the three condemned men were executed that day. It's a 264 00:18:54,240 --> 00:19:00,240 Speaker 2: shame those two men didn't have wives like Winnifred. His 265 00:19:00,320 --> 00:19:03,600 Speaker 2: jail break, William Maxwell made his way out of England 266 00:19:03,640 --> 00:19:07,280 Speaker 2: and settled in France with an assist from the ambassador 267 00:19:07,320 --> 00:19:10,960 Speaker 2: of the Venetian Republic. After lying low in London for 268 00:19:11,000 --> 00:19:14,600 Speaker 2: a bit, Winnifred joined him, but not before tying up 269 00:19:14,640 --> 00:19:18,760 Speaker 2: some key loose ends. Always with one eye to the future, 270 00:19:19,119 --> 00:19:22,399 Speaker 2: she went back to Scotland to gather the family papers 271 00:19:22,520 --> 00:19:26,480 Speaker 2: she had tucked away for Lady Maxwell. It was imperative 272 00:19:26,840 --> 00:19:30,760 Speaker 2: that her son inherit his father's title and lands, and 273 00:19:30,840 --> 00:19:32,639 Speaker 2: that they not make their way into the hands of 274 00:19:32,680 --> 00:19:36,960 Speaker 2: the British government. Once the documents were safely installed with 275 00:19:37,080 --> 00:19:41,400 Speaker 2: trusted allies, Winnifred could relax and look to a new 276 00:19:41,480 --> 00:19:46,720 Speaker 2: life with her now freed husband. Once they were finally reunited, 277 00:19:47,040 --> 00:19:50,399 Speaker 2: the Maxwells spent a little time in France at the 278 00:19:50,520 --> 00:19:54,560 Speaker 2: court of the exiled Stuart Monarch James the second, the 279 00:19:54,760 --> 00:19:58,399 Speaker 2: quote King over the Water, as he was known to many. 280 00:19:59,240 --> 00:20:03,359 Speaker 2: When James moved his court to Rome, the Maxwells followed 281 00:20:03,440 --> 00:20:07,800 Speaker 2: him and both obtained appointment as Lord and Lady in waiting. 282 00:20:08,600 --> 00:20:11,520 Speaker 2: Winifred and William would live the rest of their lives 283 00:20:11,520 --> 00:20:15,560 Speaker 2: in Rome, and though they were clearly glad to have reunited, 284 00:20:16,119 --> 00:20:21,280 Speaker 2: their lives unfortunately remained fraught with hardship. You see, William 285 00:20:21,520 --> 00:20:25,440 Speaker 2: was notoriously bad with money, and this threw the family 286 00:20:25,480 --> 00:20:28,960 Speaker 2: into strife for the rest of their days. He had 287 00:20:28,960 --> 00:20:32,440 Speaker 2: transferred the vast majority of his estate to his son 288 00:20:32,880 --> 00:20:37,560 Speaker 2: in seventeen thirteen, well before the rebellion. This might have 289 00:20:37,600 --> 00:20:41,040 Speaker 2: been a rare moment of foresight, but it was more 290 00:20:41,240 --> 00:20:44,480 Speaker 2: likely due to the fact that Lord Maxwell was simply 291 00:20:44,560 --> 00:20:49,679 Speaker 2: incapable of handling his own finances. Either way, money woes 292 00:20:49,840 --> 00:20:53,119 Speaker 2: seemed to be the theme of the Maxwell's time in Rome, 293 00:20:53,640 --> 00:20:56,680 Speaker 2: detailed in letters that each of them wrote. They were 294 00:20:56,720 --> 00:21:00,240 Speaker 2: constantly in debt and asking for money right and leftst 295 00:21:00,640 --> 00:21:05,320 Speaker 2: hitting up relatives and friends alike. There was clearly a 296 00:21:05,440 --> 00:21:09,520 Speaker 2: decrease in lifestyle after going from running her own manner 297 00:21:09,880 --> 00:21:13,720 Speaker 2: to being someone else's lady in waiting at a court 298 00:21:13,840 --> 00:21:18,200 Speaker 2: in exile, and Winnifred wasn't shy about letting people know 299 00:21:18,640 --> 00:21:24,720 Speaker 2: about the tragedy of their reduced means and her husband's overspending. Still, 300 00:21:24,840 --> 00:21:27,840 Speaker 2: the couple's devotion to each other and to the Stuart 301 00:21:27,920 --> 00:21:35,119 Speaker 2: monarchy never wavered about his exceedingly clever wife, William said quote, 302 00:21:35,359 --> 00:21:39,680 Speaker 2: there cannot be enough said in her praise. Everyone admires her, 303 00:21:40,040 --> 00:21:43,959 Speaker 2: everyone applauds her, and extols her. For the proofs she 304 00:21:44,000 --> 00:21:50,000 Speaker 2: has given me of her love end quote. Everything Winnifred 305 00:21:50,119 --> 00:21:53,800 Speaker 2: did was for her family, from rushing to secure her 306 00:21:53,840 --> 00:21:58,119 Speaker 2: son's inheritance to cooking up a wild scheme to save 307 00:21:58,200 --> 00:22:01,720 Speaker 2: her husband's life. In a time when women of her 308 00:22:01,720 --> 00:22:06,280 Speaker 2: class were encouraged to be quiet, well dressed baby makers, 309 00:22:06,320 --> 00:22:11,600 Speaker 2: Winifred Maxwell spoke her mind and refused to accept any fate. 310 00:22:12,280 --> 00:22:16,240 Speaker 2: She single handedly threw England into an uproar by taking 311 00:22:16,320 --> 00:22:19,959 Speaker 2: matters into her own hands, and she clearly relished her 312 00:22:20,040 --> 00:22:23,760 Speaker 2: role as a political pot stirrer. In a letter to 313 00:22:23,840 --> 00:22:27,080 Speaker 2: her sister about her time in London, she proudly wrote 314 00:22:27,119 --> 00:22:30,320 Speaker 2: that King George the First told her quote that I 315 00:22:30,400 --> 00:22:34,240 Speaker 2: had done him more mischief than any woman in Christendom. 316 00:22:35,119 --> 00:22:38,119 Speaker 2: She was just doing what she had to do. But 317 00:22:38,200 --> 00:22:41,080 Speaker 2: I imagine that being the pain in the ass of 318 00:22:41,160 --> 00:22:44,600 Speaker 2: a king, especially a king that she hated and saw 319 00:22:44,640 --> 00:22:53,640 Speaker 2: as illegitimate, had to feel pretty good. That's the story 320 00:22:53,680 --> 00:22:58,080 Speaker 2: of Winifred Maxwell and her daring prison escape with her husband. 321 00:22:58,440 --> 00:23:02,639 Speaker 2: But keep listening after a brief sponsor break to hear 322 00:23:02,960 --> 00:23:07,240 Speaker 2: a little bit more about what Winnifred Maxwell actually accomplished 323 00:23:13,040 --> 00:23:15,879 Speaker 2: for the rest of his life. Lord Maxwell praised his 324 00:23:15,920 --> 00:23:18,439 Speaker 2: wife for her ingenuity in breaking him out of the 325 00:23:18,480 --> 00:23:22,840 Speaker 2: Tower of London, but did she actually do him more 326 00:23:22,920 --> 00:23:26,760 Speaker 2: harm than good? In their book Tales from the Tower 327 00:23:26,800 --> 00:23:30,480 Speaker 2: of London, Daniel Deal and Mark P. Donnelly lay out 328 00:23:30,520 --> 00:23:35,360 Speaker 2: the following quote in an ironic twist of fate. There 329 00:23:35,440 --> 00:23:39,679 Speaker 2: is some historical evidence that King George may actually have 330 00:23:39,880 --> 00:23:44,600 Speaker 2: ordered a reprieve for Lord Maxwell on the same afternoon 331 00:23:45,040 --> 00:23:48,280 Speaker 2: that his wife was busily helping him escape from the tower. 332 00:23:49,000 --> 00:23:51,840 Speaker 2: Even if the King was happy to see Maxwell free, 333 00:23:52,240 --> 00:23:54,879 Speaker 2: the jail break had made both the Earl and his 334 00:23:54,960 --> 00:24:01,000 Speaker 2: wife fugitives from an entirely new set of charges. Quote. 335 00:24:01,800 --> 00:24:05,080 Speaker 2: We'll never know for sure whether or not King George 336 00:24:05,200 --> 00:24:09,600 Speaker 2: actually had given into Winifred's relentless campaigning and order her 337 00:24:09,680 --> 00:24:13,040 Speaker 2: husband to be free. But I like to imagine the 338 00:24:13,119 --> 00:24:17,560 Speaker 2: King finally making the concession to let this relentless woman 339 00:24:17,880 --> 00:24:20,600 Speaker 2: have her way, and signing off on a pardon for 340 00:24:20,760 --> 00:24:24,040 Speaker 2: her husband, and then discovering that she had done the 341 00:24:24,119 --> 00:24:28,240 Speaker 2: impossible and broken her husband out of death row using 342 00:24:28,280 --> 00:24:31,879 Speaker 2: nothing more than a wig and an extra dress. It 343 00:24:32,040 --> 00:24:34,679 Speaker 2: had to feel a little like the warden in the 344 00:24:34,720 --> 00:24:38,600 Speaker 2: Shawshank Redemption, ripping that poster of rock hel Welch off 345 00:24:38,600 --> 00:24:51,600 Speaker 2: the wall. Take that, your Highness. Noble Blood is a 346 00:24:51,640 --> 00:24:55,840 Speaker 2: production of iHeartRadio and Grim and Mild from Aaron Manky. 347 00:24:56,440 --> 00:24:59,760 Speaker 2: Noble Blood is hosted by me Dana Schwartz, with a 348 00:25:00,040 --> 00:25:04,560 Speaker 2: ditional writing and research by Hannah Johnston, Hannahswick, Courtney Sender, 349 00:25:04,800 --> 00:25:08,560 Speaker 2: Amy Hit and Julia Milani. The show is edited and 350 00:25:08,760 --> 00:25:14,480 Speaker 2: produced by Jesse Funk, with supervising producerrima il Kaali and 351 00:25:14,640 --> 00:25:19,119 Speaker 2: executive producers Aaron Manke, Trevor Young, and Matt Frederick. For 352 00:25:19,200 --> 00:25:24,640 Speaker 2: more podcasts from iHeartRadio, visit the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, 353 00:25:24,880 --> 00:25:28,080 Speaker 2: or wherever you listen to your favorite shows.