Historedia
EuropeEvent

Escape of the Earl of Winton

When
1716
Where
Tower of London
Episodes
1

George Seton, 5th Earl of Winton, escaped from the Tower of London on 4 August 1716 after being sentenced to death for his role in the 1715 Jacobite rising. He used a small instrument to cut through his cell bars and fled into continental exile.

Episodes

  1. 4 August 1716 · Tower of LondonEscape from the Tower

    Seton cut through his cell bars using a small instrument provided by a servant and escaped the Tower of London.

Background and detail

The Escape. While imprisoned in the Tower under sentence of death, Seton received a small instrument, possibly a file or watch-spring, from a trusty servant. He used this tool to cut through the window bars of his cell. The escape occurred on the night of 4 August 1716, allowing him to flee into exile.

People involved

Sources

  1. George Seton, 5th Earl of Winton Wikipedia, revision of 2026-01-16

Machine-drafted from the cited Wikipedia passages and checked by a reviewing model, not by a human editor. Every passage cites the revision it was written from; dates and places follow those passages.