My understanding is that the lower-ranking staff are addressed by the first name, (e.g., Daisy) and higher-ranking staff who are responsible for their area, (e.g., Mr. Carson in in charge of footmen so on, Ms. Hughes in charge of maids, and Ms. Patmore in charge of the cooks) or who work directly for the family, (e.g., Mr. Bates) or maybe sometimes I guess it could be some more familiar with some staff, (e.g., Anna starting off lower on the ladder and then moving up to waiting on a member of the family). Theres something evil going on in that stately home in the rolling hills of Yorkshire, and its a lot more nefarious than the re-bedding of the body of the expired Turkish gentleman. Thank you for explaining though, I found it frustrating that the article left that key point out. Rosamund thought. I explore that reality in my book, My Sister, My Self: The Surprising Ways That Being an Older, Middle, Younger, or Twin Shaped Your Life. And, of course, because Edith is Edith, she found herself taking television's most common journey: From Virginity To Pregnancy In One Encounter. It's mentioned in series 4 (IIRC) - Lady Mary ask Anna to look after Rose while they are in London because they can't take Madge away from Lady Edith who is staying at Downton Abbey. The present wife of a peer is, say, the Duchess of York. The valet was suspected of murder (twice). Should something happen to Robert, the title would pass to George making Cora the Dowager Countess. Another case is that some of the Scottish Earldoms, such as the Earldom of Newburgh. Hi James & Royal Central: ", On the surface, this may seem to be the saddest thing of all for Edith, in that it seems to be, for her, a far more profoundly important pain than her various suitors would be alone. Francine may require the help of her eccentric nouveau riche best friend, Cuddles (Edith Massey), to discover the truth. Cora wake up! Maybe Edith will finally get her happy ending. It might be better to take out the part about the two living daughters of the Earl and Countess of Grantham as that is quite a major spoiler for anyone who is in the middle of watching the show, as I am. The family refer to the housekeeper and cook as Mrs and their family name regardless if they were ever married or not. I couldnt read past ~ whos name is Robert Crawley~. The son moves up to the earldom, his wife becomes the Countess of Grantham. Dashing away with a soothing iron, indeed. Now, what does any of this have to do with Downton Abbey? His superiors simply needed to feed Edith a lie that would discourage her from poking around, so they made up a cover story that someone who follows the news would believe. But then I thought, maybe Julian Fellowes will pull the rug out from all of us, force them to live in this still completely gigantic mansion with a mere 8 servants, and rename the show Downton Place! Thomas is the footman. Ill be awaiting them while munching on champagne-basted asparagus and Calvados-glazed duck. Because Matthew predeceased Robert, Mary was never actually the Countess, but her son would be the earl, so what title does that leave her? The family would call them by their first name if it were known to them or perhaps nothing at all. These fan theories include secret parentage, undercover spies, and, of course, poison. Then, Edith got engaged to Anthony, the same guy Mary drove off once before, after convincing him she loved him in spite of his war-torn arm. I still dont understand where the name Grantham comes from. 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My understanding is that the family name is Grantham and that Lady Mary married Matthew Crawley. She writesthat Perhaps the lesson of all these stories of Edith being left and left and left again is nothing brings in misery like being entirely at the mercy of other peoples decisions to stay or leave, which is where Ediths father, well-meaning though he may be, has left her. Holmes sees the Marigold storyline as evidence that Edith is learning to take her destiny into her own hands. Good point. Hope you are doing well. According to this theory, the miscarriage kicks off a curse of deadly pregnancies: Lady Sybil dies in childbirth; Matthew Crawley dies in a car accident soon after the birth of his son; and when the maid Ethel Parks becomes pregnant with Major Bryants child, he dies, too. Ms. Jenny, Best wishes to you in the coming year. Her aunt bundled her off to Switzerland for the mysterious, months-long absence everyone either agreed to consider not suspicious at all or actually did not consider suspicious because they cannot imagine Edith having a sex life. Earlier in the episode, the Crawleys closeted footman, Thomas Barrow, made a pass at Pamuk, which the diplomat rejected quite forcefullyso much so that he threatened to get Thomas fired. As you may recall from science class, certain genes are dominant and others are recessive. And when she actually met someone who liked her, he was driven off by Mary, who was angry at Edith for revealing that Mary's romantic activities were so amazing that they killed a Turkish guy. Anyone who does not know that Dowager refers to a widow might like a more complete explanation. But would that be the ending that Edith deserves? 'Yellowstone' Return Date Info, Meghan McCain Calls Out Former 'View' Coworker Joy Behar for Her "Evil" East Palestine Comments, Where Is Hoda Kotb? I hope this makes sense. Would he be Viscount Downton? Given the opportunity to be responsible for something instead of responsible to everyone, she seems remarkably at peace as this season closes. Thank you! Kois: Seth, I wonder about this, too. Three generations easily distinguished. Season 4 of "Downton Abbey" introduces a major shift in plot, as well as a shift in style, evident in the fashion of the character Lady Edith Crawley, played by Laura Carmichael. 'The Mandalorian' Season 3 Episode Guide: How Many Episodes of 'Mandalorian' Will There Be on Disney+? Unlucky in love, unlucky in life. Lady's maids were often held onto even when the rest of the staff were decreasing rapidly, and a marchioness would certainly be expected to have one. Stevenson: Youre right, Dan. Or at least, Edith did. hide caption. Her proper title isThe Countess of Grantham and she, like Lord Grantham, can be addressed as Lady Grantham by equals andMiLady by servants. Click here to subscribe to the Royal Central newsletter, Most of the other underdogs on Downton Abbey eventually get their due. He would almost certainly enlist, as show creator Julian Fellowes himself has suggested. Pretend a different storyline, in which Robert has an heir, a married son. And thats what I aim to explain in this article. It is a style only, not a title or an ennoblement. They divorced. Diana, Princess of Wales was the daughter of an Earl so, prior to her marriage, was addressed as Lady Diana Spencer. Considering all this, it should come as no surprise that fans have developed similarly wacky theories about the show. By accepting all cookies, you agree to our use of cookies to deliver and maintain our services and site, improve the quality of Reddit, personalize Reddit content and advertising, and measure the effectiveness of advertising. At risk of being labelled a pedant, I would say that Downton Abbey is not set in the early 1900s, but in the early twentieth century, as the early 1900s would take us to 1905, and the current series is set in the early 1920s. Continue to watch and you will find out. Can there be two people holding that title simultaneously? Speaking of nobility travelling without valets, when the Duke of Crowborough showed up at Downton without a valet in the very first episode my first thought was he left his valet behind so that Thomas would be taking care of him, and that would give them a chance to have a quiet talk about not wanting his indiscretion with Thomas to become well known. The fact she can transform from drab Lady Edith to drop-dead gorgeous glamazon to walk the red carpet, and elicit reactions . I also wondered this as I live in a town called grantham where Margret thatcher was born and wondered if there was a connection with the town. But Dan is also correct that the entire Edith wedding sequence was some dang good Downton. Maybethere is a silver lining to all of Edithsheartache. The farmer agreed to pretend to accept her story that this baby totally belonged to a terribly scandalous friend of Edith's, and Edith couldn't keep her in the house because of the terrible shame that would result from her family being associated with this scandalous friend. All the named maids (Anna, Gwen, Lily, Edna, etc) have either been promoted or left, so Edith may be waited on by one of the unnamed maids, or she may have simply elected not to have a maid at all. Downton House. I still dont understand why she must stay at Downton. Last series, she was left heartbroken when Bertie Pelham called off their engagement after. (This is all leaving aside the fact that Edith's ideas about adoption seem odd, in that an adoptive family, of course, brings its own blessings, meaning the child's life is not simply devoid of joy because she cannot inherit from her birth father.). I'm afraid though that your future wife is a very wicked woman indeed and enjoyed every one of your scandalous allusions most thoroughly. Apologies for posting to such an old thread, but thought I might help other confused Americans find your comment when googling, since the show is still well-known even though its finished airing. No Mr/Mrs or Miss. Violet remains the Dowager Countess of Grantham. Thanks to his job, he knows tons of important people, travels all over the world, and speaks multiple languages. In season three, it looked as though Edith might finally find happiness. Mary will not have a title unless she marries a person of title. Being American, I fear I have a rather limited understanding of the British system regarding the bestowing of titles. But to be fair, Downton Abbey has never been kind to Lady Edith. He claims he likes Lady Edith and likens her to the people we all know in life who can never get it together. Of course, this new romance was also not without turmoil. Maybe Edith's lady's maid is new and she doesn't quite trust her to do her best when she's going to be seeing the King and Queen. Some Redditors believe Bates is just a remorseless serial killer, pointing to his intense hatred of his first wife and creepy vibes as evidence. Oops! Only the Dukes present wife could be known as the Duchess of Argyll. Or it could just be a sign that Rosamund cares about her niece. At the head of the family is Lord Grantham,whos name is Robert Crawley (played by Hugh Bonneville). As for Mary and Edith, they began to realize the importance of their bond as sisters. How dare Edith not be dazzlingly beautiful? I am not sure how common it was for a married woman to be in service and if the fact of being married had any impact on how they were addressed. But since shes a marchioness she would be expected to have a ladys maid to show her status and power. Lady Mary Crawley (played by Michelle Dockery) has been the resident mean girl on "Downton Abbey" ever since it premiered in 2011 (via IMDb ). She was well-known for her role as Lady Mary throughout the years and had a similar look to her character, perhaps because Lady Mary often did her best to move ahead with the times, especially with her hairstyles. ), Aunt Rosamund shame-bullied Edith into the Swiss adoption, which she never wanted, and when it came right down to it, Edith ultimately did what Edith thought was right, for reasons other than wanting to get married already before she gets old. I still stick with my original theory-that her lady's maid isn't a full-time one like Anna, but that a housemaid might help her or she shares Bertie's mother's lady's maid. 1,804, This story has been shared 1,592 times. 1,546, This story has been shared 1,335 times. I'm not sure if Edith would insist on a lady's maid because of her history as 'Poor Edith.' The main question I have coming out of this episode: Whats left to resolve? Tsk.). (Quick aside on Mr. Bates: The scene where some sort of contraband is planted in his bunk made zero sense. Sorry I forgot to put this in the other posts but another aspect to consider is that a Marchioness, ranking so high, would probably be expected to dress better and overall put on a better impression than the unmarried middle daughter of an Earl. Like the family name for the very-real premier duke of England, the Duke of Norfolk, is Fitzalan-Howard. When Cora said you are being tested as a handheld camera hovered over Edith sprawled in bed and weeping? Laura Carmichael as Lady Edith, whose rather appalling luck seems destined to follow her. Well, to Americans this isnt obvious. But she wont be the same level as a Valet. After all, thats the triumph of Sybils storyline. 4,929, This story has been shared 4,321 times. By rejecting non-essential cookies, Reddit may still use certain cookies to ensure the proper functionality of our platform. When Lord Grantham inherited the title Earl of Grantham, the title Viscount Downton, became his subsidiary title. A peeress may be addressed as Your Ladyship or Madam. Cookie Notice It could also explain why Edith looks (and behaves) so different from her sisters. Marys happiness seems to be the only thing that matters in this household. Sure, Mary endures tragedy, but Mary is also wealthy, chic, and constantly pursued by scores of handsome suitors. The new husband is required to take the family name in order to receive his father-in-laws title. But say Princess Di and everyone knows who youre talking about. 6,465, This story has been shared 4,929 times. When Will 'Jesus Revolution' Movie Be Streaming? But Lady Mary has taken over when the series ends, and Fellowes believes shed find savvy ways to keep her familys home in their hands. Robert Crawley is addressed asLord Grantham by equals and asYour LordshiporMiLord by servants. This story has been shared 18,354 times. Applying the Bare-Minimum Monday Philosophy to Relationships, Mass Shooters and the Myth That Evil Is Obvious, Transforming Empathy Into Compassion: Why It Matters, New Years Eve Survival Guide for the Heartbroken. Seth Stevenson: June, you are right that Lady Mary is approaching insufferable queen bee territory. 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