Yo acabo de terminar el primer capítulo y arranca con fuerza! Tengo la sensación de que toda la temporada girará en torno a si Downton Abbey sobrevive a los nuevos tiempos modernos.

Granny tiene un par de momentos gloriosos.

Andrea, no desesperes...

A mi me ha entretenido mucho.

A mí también me ha gustado mucho y me he reído. Denker y Spratt son un duo cómico excepcional. Y ya no cuento más.

Me ha parecido muy interesante.

Titles on Downton Abbey explained



Downton Abbey is, without doubt, one of the most consistently popular TV shows produced in recent times. The show, which gives a look at the life of the Crawleys, a fictional aristocratic family who run and own the Downton estate. Set in the early 1900s, the show gives a fairly accurate idea of life for the aristocracy at this time and the changes that the first world war brought to the United Kingdom’s formerly rigid class system.

One thing that’s key to the show yet is not widely understood by many are the titles used by members of the family. And that’s what I aim to explain in this article.

At the head of the family is Lord Grantham, who’s name is Robert Crawley (played by Hugh Bonneville). He is the original title holder and the titles of the rest of the Crawley family exist because he holds this title (we’ll get onto why very shortly). Lord Grantham is in fact the short form of his title, the proper title is The Earl of Grantham, though in Britain Barons, Viscounts, Earls and Marquesses can be referred to as Lord X instead of by their full title – this is why you may have heard him called Lord Grantham and the Earl of Grantham throughout the show.

Robert Crawley is addressed as Lord Grantham by equals and as Your Lordship or Mi’Lord by servants. It would be incorrect to refer to him as Lord Robert, however.

Lord Grantham’s wife, Cora Crawley (played by Elizabeth McGovern) is known as Lady Grantham. Her proper title is The Countess of Grantham and she, like Lord Grantham, can be addressed as Lady Grantham by equals and Mi’Lady by servants. Like with Lord Grantham, her title of Countess of Grantham is often abbreviated to Lady Grantham, the same as for all other Baronesses, Viscountesses, Countesses and Marchionesses. It would, however, be incorrect to refer to Lady Grantham as Lady Cora.

There is also Violet Crawley (played by Maggie Smith) who is Lord Grantham’s mother and the wife of the previous Lord Grantham. Her full title is The Dowager Countess of Grantham and is also referred to as simple Lady Grantham. Addressed by servants as Your Ladyship or Mi’Lady and equals as simply Lady Grantham.

Next we have the two living daughters of the Earl and Countess of Grantham, Mary Crawley and Edith Crawley. As both are the daughters of an Earl, they use the title ‘Lady’ in front of their names. This is the case for all daughters of Earls, Marquesses and Dukes, formally their titles are The Lady Mary Crawley and The Lady Edith Crawley, addressed normally as Lady Mary and Lady Edith and by servants as Mi’Lady.

Interestingly, if Lord Grantham had a son, he would go by the title of Lord Downton (fully as Viscount Downton) because Lord Grantham also holds this as what’s called a ‘subsidiary title’ which is like a secondary, lesser title. The eldest son of a titled person (peer) usually uses his father’s second highest title as his own.

Any other sons would be styled as ‘The Honourable’ before their first name.

Downton Abbey is on our screens on Christmas Day in the UK for the Christmas special.



Photo Credit: ITV Pictures

Gracias Marce, por eso a mi siempre se me abrían las carnes cuando en este foro alguien llamaba a Granny "Lady Violet". Solamente sería Lady Violet si su padre, como explica el texto, fuera conde, marqués o duque y en todo caso una vez casada siempre sería Lady Grantham.

Nunca escuché nombrar el título subsidiario de Viscount Downton. ¿Soy yo o es invención del periodista?
Podría ser posible, pero no todos los Condes tienen títulos subsidiarios. Si no lo tuviera, el primer hijo sería Lord Name Crawley, por ser hijo mayor de un conde.

Qué fue lo de #DowntonAbbeyRoad ..?
No tuve tiempo hoy para estar pendiente de internet.

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No me he enterado muy bien, pero parece que transmitieron en directo la grabación de la música del último episodio vía periscope.

La banda sonora es preciosa.

Gracias Clara

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Tengo una duda. ¿Qué título lleva George, el hijo de Lady Mary, al ser heredero de Lord Grantham?
Si muere Lord Grantham, George será el nuevo Lord y Conde. Y Cora será la nueva Condesa viuda? Y Granny? Y quedaría vacante el título de Condesa hasta que George se case, porque Lady Mary nunca podrá ser Condesa al enviudar.
Saludos a todos.

Salvo que el "condado" de Grantham tenga título subsidiario, algo que no nos consta porque jamás se ha mencionado en la serie, el niño es Mr. George Crawley a secas hasta que herede el título. Recordad que el difunto marido de Mary, Matthew, era Mr. Matthew Crawley pese a ser el heredero del título.

Si muere el actual Lord Grantham y Granny sigue viva, ella es la Dowager Countess of Grantham y Cora sería conocida como "Cora, countess of Grantham" hasta la muerte de Granny, momento en el cual pasa a ser la dowager (estoy citando a Debrett's en esto, que es la máxima autoridad en títulos ingleses).

De todas formas las dos serían tratadas por sus "iguales" como Lady Grantham y por el servicio como Her Ladyship o M'Lady.

Efectivamente Lady Mary (más correctamente The Lady Mary, ya que ese "The" indica que es Lady por nacimiento, no por matrimonio) nunca será condesa de Grantham porque su marido murió antes de heredar el título y ella, pese a ser la hija mayor del actual poseedor del mismo, nunca podría heredarlo directamente al ser mujer. De hecho, esa situación es el arranque de la serie en la primera temporada.

Muchísimas gracias Octavius, muy completa tu respuesta.