William Maxwell, the 5th Earl of Nithsdale, was a Scottish Jacobite who was imprisoned in the Tower of London in 1716 for his role in the Jacobite Rising of 1715. On the eve of his execution, he was able to escape disguised as a woman with the help of his wife, Lady Winifred Nithsdale.

Lady Nithsdale and two of her friends visited Lord Nithsdale in the Tower and brought with them a disguise of women's clothing. They were able to smuggle him out of the Tower by dressing him as a woman and hiding him in a laundry basket. They then took him to a nearby house, where he was able to change clothes and flee to France.

Lord Nithsdale's escape was a major scandal at the time. It was seen as a sign of the weakness of the government and the strength of the Jacobite movement. It also led to a number of changes to the security of the Tower of London.