Sense and Sensibility Lady Anstruther, returned from France, orchestrates a plan to turn up at Downton Abbey in pursuit of Jimmy. She saw Matthew again at the hospital when baby George was born, and when Matthew arrived he sent her home. Related changes; Upload file; Special pages . She is best friends with Mrs Patmore. When Anthony Strallan reveals what Larry had done, Lord Merton asks his son if it was true. The brusque, domineering and nouveau riche Carlisle is a self-made, extremely wealthy newspaper magnate from Edinburgh whose paper, with the help of Lavinia Swire, was instrumental in breaking the Marconi scandal story. Isobel remains the almoner and happily supports the change. Regency Mrs. Crawley: Matthew Crawley's (widowed) mother, Isobel. Next: The Gilded Age Is Different To Downton Abbey (& That's Good). Eventually, his wife persuades him to accept the child as his grandson, and Mr Bryant offers to adopt Charlie. His mother later tells George that it was time for his bedtime, and about the sudden demise of his father Matthew, only moments after his birth. Nevertheless, he maintains a fascination with medicine. Isobel Grey (formerly Crawley, ne Turnbull), Lady Merton (played by Penelope Wilton) is Matthew's widowed mother. Although the neighbour at first recants her story, she eventually gives a statement that clears Bates, who is freed from prison, returns to Downton, and moves into a nearby cottage with Anna. Downton Abbey is, as others have noted, a beautifully written (and acted, and filmed) drama series bearing several similarities to Pride and Prejudice, but with, shall we say, upgrades. By the series finale, she's married to Richard Grey, who gave up his estate in order to be with her. Lady Sybil quickly befriends Gwen and tries to help her get a job as a secretary. An overconfident Thomas makes a snide remark that Mr Bates can do nothing to stop him only for Bates to violently grab him and shove him against the wall, proving that despite his disability he is not to be underestimated. [4] Following his death, his son George becomes the heir to the earldom, and a letter is found that serves as a will for Mary to inherit Matthew's share of Downton. Isobel and Mr.Molesley pay a visit to Dr.Clarkson in season 1, episode 4, only to find Violet is already in his office. "They're quite well known apparently. They wear brown shirts and go around preaching the most horrible things," as Edith later tells her aunt. Abigail Reynolds She appeared in the first film. In the third series, Isobel wants to hire Ethel to work alongside Mrs Bird. Tony later calls off his engagement to Mabel, because of his interest in Mary. When the staff see that he uses a cane, they are at best surprised and at worst angry feeling that they will have to pick up the slack for him, due to his disability slowing him down in the large house. In series six and the 2015 Christmas Special, Andy and Daisy share some special moments with each other and it looks as if they might live at Yew Tree farm with Mr Mason and possibly get married. Mrs. Crawley may not have even lived to see Lord Grantham pass away and her son take over. He also nearly weds Edith to Anthony Strallan before he jilts her at the altar (Travis and the Dowager discussed Strallan's first wife beforehand). For example, he recalls that he and the sisters disliked their governess, which Edith identifies specifically as Frulein Kelder. When he turns up atGrantham Housefor a ball, she is very nervous about his presence, especially when he asks her to dance. He began as a directors assistant on various independent films. The Princess Mary, Viscountess Lascelles (Kate Phillips) is the only daughter of King George V and Queen Mary. Sir Walter Elliot (Anthony Head), Baronet with his three daughters in Persuasion (2007). In the first season, Mr Moseley was Matthew's valet, which was a job Matthew thought was useless, as he was capable of dressing himself. Your online source for Jane Austen and her legacy, Image of commoner Isobel Crawley greeting peer Violet, Dowager Countess of Grantham in Downton Abbey. Alongside the Crawley family and some of the staff, who truly believed that he was not a murderer, she attended John's trial and supported John's second wife Anna Bates, and Downton staff members who were called up to the stand during the trial. [1] Although their sisters get to use Lady, they would not get to use Lord. That is reserved for the younger sons of marquesses and dukes (whose daughters also are Lady). In the first series, she is asked to stand-in for Mrs Patmore as cook at the Abbey while she is away having an eye operation. They share a moment in which Jimmy exhibits some doubt about the plan, wondering if perhaps Lady Anstruther just wants to talk. Hence, she becomes sensitive and upset when confronted with the topic of war. But Mr Mason insists to Daisy she has to say goodbye to him properly, and offers to help her find the right words to say. Bates becomes protective over Anna at the car racing at Brooklands, when she insists in running after Lady Mary after a fatal crash on the track. Later he arranges Lavinia Swire's funeral and then the wedding for Matthew and Mary, even though the Archbishop of York performs it. What could most immediately alter a character's behavior in . Just before her death she confesses to Matthew that she had seen the kiss between him and Mary and tells him that her death is the best for all of them. Martha Levinson (played by Shirley MacLaine) is Cora's brash, outspoken, and wealthy American mother. He volunteers to help Mr Mason take care of Downton's pigs and shows an interest in farming. Inspirational Fiction She also has a nephew, Alfred Nugent, who later becomes a footman at Downton. Related: Downton Abbey's Movie Is Just The TV Show Again (& That's Why It's Great). Upon discovering that film star Guy Dexter is also a closeted gay man who fancies him, Barrow took the actor up on his offer to become his jack-of-all-trades. The Dowager Countess learns of his situation and tells the doctor that William had an embarrassing skin condition in order to keep him from being drafted. In the series three Christmas Special, he tries to call Jimmy off his aggressive streak towards Thomas, and then spends the rest of the episode talking about his interest in cooking. She plays outside with her cousins Sybil and George, as the adults are having tea inside the Downton estate. In series four, Jimmy is something of an antagonist, stirring the pot for amusement and to get at Alfred, his professional rival. One quibble. In series six, despite her sister Mary's efforts to separate them, Edith marries Bertie Pelham, becoming a marchioness, and he and her family come to accept her daughter Marigold. And I'm very pleased he did.". In between serving in the Anglo-Boer War and joining the staff at Downton Abbey, John Bates went to prison for a theft that Vera had committed. AlthoughDownton Abbey: A New Era ends with a tragic death of a beloved character, the sequel also marks new beginnings for the Crawley family and their servants. She quarrels with the Dowager when the latter suspects a gardener Isobel and Dr Clarkson persuaded her to take on of stealing. In real life, Matthew Goode missed Downton Abbey: A New Era because he was filming The Offer, the Paramount+ series about the making of The Godfather. Eventually he returns to his post as Robert's valet, and he and Anna rekindle their romance. He informs Lady Grantham that he suspects the new nanny may be mistreating the children in some way. Anna then assists Lady Mary with procuring contraception for a sexual relationship with Lord Gillingham, but Bates finds the evidence and mistakenly believes Anna has been using it so she does not become pregnant with a murderer's child. Mason, still enamored with Mrs Patmore, agrees to surrender the farm lease to Daisy and Andy and go to live with her. He is married and has several young children. Isobel is new to Downton, having recently moved in from Manchester. He is addressed as Mr. The Prince of Wales (Oliver Dimsdale), the future King Edward VIII, is also present at Rose's debutante ball, and his affair with the married Freda Dudley Ward is the centre of Sampson's blackmail plot. He is portrayed by Simon Jones in the film. In series one, he tries to blackmail his former lover, The Duke of Crowborough. Despite misgivings, Mrs Crawley agrees with the plan, although Ethel seems unwilling to accept any position aside from one close to Charlie's new home. The Honourable Ephraim Atticus Aldridge (played by Matt Barber), more commonly known by his middle name, Atticus, is the son and heir of Lord and Lady Sinderby. in, The Chronicles of Downton Abbey: A New Era, Do Not Sell or Share My Personal Information, "I like a man of strong beliefs." In the second feature film, Daisy and Andy are married and both living on the farm with Mr Mason. In series three, she has a breast cancer scare; the lump is eventually diagnosed as benign. Shortly beforehand, Thomas signs up to the Royal Army Medical Corps in an effort to avoid being sent to the frontline for the war that is soon coming. This helps Daisy drop any objections she has about their pairing. Anna's attempts to locate the ticket prove fruitless, due to Lady Mary's prior actions. She admitted she knew little of him when he was the chauffeur apart from good morning and good night, but she professed her liking for a man of strong beliefs. She found a local farmer, John Drake, who was dying of dropsy. Sir Walter Elliot of Kellynch Hall in Persuasion is the baronet who will be most familiar to Austen readers. Before she came to Downton in 1895 as head housemaid, she was courted by a farmer, Joe Burns. With the possibility of Alfred leaving to pursue his dreams of being a chef, Mr Carson offers Molesley a job as second footman if Alfred leaves. Thomas Ferguson Niall Branson (played by Allen Leech) was initially the family chauffeur, employed in series one. Despite the concern of her husband and of Lady Mary, Anna does keep working, although some of her duties are undertaken by other members of staff. Before she can bring herself to tell him about Marigold, Mary peevishly reveals the truth. Mabel Lane-Fox returns and begins pursuing him again, but he is still convinced that it would be dishonorable not to marry Mary after their affair. Edith inherits his publishing company and reclaims their daughter, Marigold. (And given her razor-sharp tongue, Im not convinced that her what is a week end? query isnt a quip rather than an innocent question. She also refused to hand the police the ticket regarding Mr Bates's trip to London on the day Mr Green died, telling Lady Mary she could never condemn a man for defending his wife's honour against such a crime. Along with Violet, she is invited to Lord Merton's estate for tea, where he tries to discuss with Isobel the science of quarantine, on which he was reading in a book. When the Valentine he sent to his former employer, Lady Anstruther as a joke, comes back to bite him. In the end, Alfred realises too late that he was chasing the wrong girl, while Ivy comes to a similar realisation about Jimmy, who was clearly out for sport. Carlisle leaves the morning before the Servants' Ball, but not before revealing that he did genuinely love her. In 1924 Dickie is still in pursuit of Isobel and invites Violet and Isobel to his estate and tries to discuss with Isobel the science of quarantine, which he has read about in a book. Lady Rose Aldridge (ne MacClare) (portrayed by Lily James) (b. Mary struggles to move past her grief, but after the discovery of a letter from Matthew stating he intended to name Mary his sole heiress, she recovers and begins helping her father and brother-in-law Tom manage the estate. Her father dies shortly after and Matthew honours his deathbed wish for his ashes to be placed in Lavinia's grave. Her immediate family members call her Mary, but no one else except her very closest friends (and eventual husband) would leave out the Lady.. She appeared in the film, played by Geraldine James.[24]. "What shall we call each other?" It is impossible to recognise Major Gordon as Patrick Crawley because his face was severely burned during the Battle of Passchendaele. He is the husband of Cora, son of Violet, and father of Mary, Edith and Sybil. The Dowager Countess's Lady's Maid Gladys Denker takes advantage of him to go out drinking, but Thomas Barrow comes to his rescue, teaching Denker a lesson in the process. Lady Violet swore on her deathbed that "nothing happened" between her and her French suitor. Isobel Crawley. (Jaap Buitendijk/Focus Features) Gift Article. With Violet's help, Isobel proposes to Lord Merton, who accepts, to the horror of his son and daughter in-law, and they are married in the series finale. (Compare Mr. Collinss use of Cousin as a title in P&P, where the Bennet sisters do not reciprocate.) His wife calls him Robert (referring to him as Lord Grantham to others), and his daughters call him Papa (ditto). At Downton Abbey, the Earl of Grantham is a peer, the present head of his family and estate, with a wife, three daughters, and various relations and visitors: The Earl of Grantham: Robert, addressed as Lord Grantham. Servants address him as my lord (notice that Bates corrects himself from sirwhich is how he had addressed him as an officer when he was his batman to my lord) and refer to him as his lordship. His surname, Crawley, is not ordinarily used, nor is Lord ever paired with Robert. Peers use their title as if it were a surname: he would sign his letters Grantham (to his friends and family) or Robert Grantham; close family and friends might refer to him that way. Lord Sinderby was said to have been opposed to his marriage to Rose while his wife accepts her because "her son's happiness is more important". May Bird (played by Christine Lohr) was the cook for Isobel and Matthew Crawley at Crawley House. Isobel was at the train station to see Matthew off to Scotland to visit Duneagle Castle. He leaves Downton, telling Carson in a letter that he has confessed to murdering Green in order to have Anna freed. (The same for marchionesses, viscountesses, and baronesses, but not duchesses. In the fourth series, Mary is pursued by three suitors: Anthony Foyle (Lord Gillingham), Evelyn Napier, and Charles Blake. Violet Crawley (The Dowager Countess of Grantham) (played by Maggie Smith) (1841[1]-1928) is Robert's mother and widow of the previous earl. When Matthew announced he wanted Tom to be his best man, she happily applauded his decision. This would have meant that Robert was never the Earl of Grantham and lived his entire life as a fraud. Thomas is quickly drawn to Jimmy, whose flirty and vague behaviour leads him to believe that Jimmy might be interested in sharing a homosexual relationship. He also writes about a wide range of his interests from the Marvel Cinematic Universe, House of the Dragon, The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel, AEW, and Cobra Kai. Lee Strobel's The Case for Faith aims to answer the "toughest objections to Christianity" through interviews with well-known Christian apologists. He is a major figure in the community in his own right, as evidenced in series five when he is asked to chair a committee building a memorial to townsmen who died during the First World War. Through Lady Rose MacClare, who is one of the helpers, he learns of her relationship to Violet and that the Dowager Countess still lives at Downton. Isobel and the Crawley family showed their support for John Bates who was arrested for the murder of his first wife Vera Bates. She has one sibling, a sister who lives in Lytham St Annes. Vyner then asks that Anna visit Scotland Yard for further questions during the Crawleys' stay in London. During Bates's murder trial, Thomas applies for Bates's old job, but is rejected by Lord Grantham. Lavinia dies at Downton of Spanish influenza after Matthew regains use of his legs and shortly before their wedding. Baxter is hired on Barrow's recommendation, and Cora is pleased with Baxter. Dr. Clarkson (David Robb) assuaged her and Robert's fears that she has cancer. Shortly before Matthew and Lavinia's wedding, Lavinia showed mild symptoms of Spanish flu, so because she would be feeling unwell for the next couple of weeks Isobel decided the wedding day would have to be delayed until everyone recovered from Spanish flu. She is a widow as her husband died during the First World War. Laura A. Wallace is a musician, attorney, and writer living in Southeast Texas. This all occurs when Matthew and his mother were away in France, in the trenches and field hospitals respectively. In 1925, she married the Baron Merton, and became the stepmother of Larry Grey and Timothy Grey. He often helps Ivy in the kitchen with his culinary skills, much to Daisy's ire. Mary offers to take Anna to London, paying for her to visit Dr Ryder, the doctor that had treated Mary for problems when she had trouble conceiving a child with Matthew. Cora and Edith make up a story to tell her father Robert, that the pig farmer cannot financially care for this child along with his own children, and Edith asks Robert if Marigold can become her "ward." While in England he makes the acquaintance of the Hon. She is a devotee of Jane Austen and Georgette Heyer and is the author of British Titles of Nobility: An Introduction and Primer to the Peerage (1998). But she refused him and he married a woman named Ivy and had a son, Peter. Edith does not hear from him, which worries her, especially when she receives a shocking letter from a London doctor informing her that she is pregnant. Elsie May Carson (ne Hughes) (played by Phyllis Logan) (b. Violet managed to convince Isobel that refugees left displaced and disadvantaged by the war needed her help more than Downton. He announces he is in love with Mary and proposes to her surprise, but she says they barely know each other, and she is not ready to marry again so soon after being widowed. It is revealed that she was poisoned by eating rat poison cooked in a pie, and Bates is put under suspicion. Laurel Ann Nattress, editor. If they marry any peer, or the son of a marquess or duke, they will take their married title from him. Isobel Grey, Baroness Merton (ne Turnbull, previously Crawley; born between 1853 and 1862[5]) is a doctor's daughter and a member by marriage of the Crawleyand Grey families; the former through her late husband, Dr Reginald Crawley, her late son, Matthew Crawley's, marriage to the aristocratic Lady Mary Crawley, and through her grandson, George Crawley. This greatly upsets the farmer's wife, who was led to believe that the child was the orphaned daughter of her husband's friend whom she never met. But Mrs Hughes and Mrs Patmore intervene and Carson eventually gives in and takes Molesley on as a second footman. Though both Prince Kuragin and Violet were married, they fell in love and attempted to run away together, but did not succeed. She lives in London by herself on 35 Belgrave Square. She dies at the end of the second film. Patrick Gordon (played by Trevor White) is a major in the Princess Patricia's Canadian Light Infantry who made a request to stay at the convalescent home at Downton Abbey because he claims he is related to the Crawley family. 1902) is the daughter and youngest child of Hugh and Susan MacClare (Lord and Lady Flintshire). She reveals the story of Anna's attack but states that the attacker was a stranger who broke into the house. However, in the third series, Tom and now-pregnant Sybil are forced to flee Ireland after Tom becomes implicated in the burning of an Anglo-Irish nobleman's house. She assumes that Mary wants to marry again, at which point she is delighted and congratulates her, and is later invited to the wedding. The Scottish spelling of Isabel has a definite character of her own, the 'o' giving her an extra infusion of strength but also an element of confusion. When she feared what he might do next and knew what was about to happen, Anna hid in the dark, waiting for him with a knife. He arrives at Downton in the first episode to replace Lord Grantham's previous valet. Before 1912, she lived in Manchester with the Crawleys as their cook, but when they moved, she went with them. In the first film, Carson is called back to oversee the royal family's visit to Downton. He manipulates Daisy in order to further his plans to have Mr Bates ousted. When Jimmy returns with Dr. Clarkson and the other fair-goers, they find Thomas beaten and bloody. She deeply loves and cares for her only son Matthew and is devastated by his death. Matthew dies because his actor chose to leave the series. When Barrow attempts suicide, it is Baxter who raises the alarm (based on Barrow's earlier behaviour that morning) and finds him in the bathroom in time to save his life. The heir to Downton, third cousin once removed, Matthew Crawley (Dan Stevens), Mr. Matthew Crawley: the earls third cousin, once removed, and after the deaths of James and Patrick, the heir presumptive to the earldom. She is unhappy in her marriage, and seeks to end it. Baxter and Moseley become very close in the course of the final series and the two films; in A New Era, Baxter accepts Moseley's marriage proposal. This is a list of characters from Downton Abbey, a British period drama television series created by Julian Fellowes and co-produced by Carnival Films and Masterpiece for ITV and PBS, respectively. Anna May Bates (ne Smith) (played by Joanne Froggatt) (b. With Barrow deciding to leave with Dexter, he formally gave his notice as Downton's butler. I havent noticed any of those modern usages that tend to creep into Austen adaptations, like male acquaintances addressing each other by their first names rather than surnames in Persuasion and Mr. Darcys mother being referred to as Mrs. However, after she explains her feelings on marriage he doesn't act. Despite the pains, Anna is fine, as her body is adjusting to pregnancy. He has worked at Downton since he was a young man, when his grandfather was its Head Groom. William had three brothers and a sister but all died at or shortly after birth, leaving him as the only child. She reacts callously at first, reminding him of his place, but soon comes to apologise, and finally breaks down and cries. Crawley because The Hon. is not used in speech. When Matthew is injured, he thinks his spine may have been broken, but is proven wrong when Matthew walks again (he was just suffering from spinal shock, which didn't permanently disable his legs). Travis insults the Catholic faith and believes the Anglican Church is superior. He later sends her flowers, hoping to apologize for his behavior, which he felt was rude (they were discussing their children and their occupations, and when he brought up Matthew, Isobel revealed her son had died; he had forgotten who she was). Fearing for his safety, Lord Grantham had him assigned to Matthew Crawley's battalion to be his batman. He is appointed Governor of Bombay that year, and he and his wife travel to India. After his return, he receives a telegram informing him of her death. Dickie begs Isobel not to change her mind, but she has become disheartened by his sons' treatment. Isobel persuaded Robert and Cora to turn Downton Abbey into a convalescent home for injured soldiers, so as to free up hospital beds at the cottage hospital for critical patients.