Earl of Grantham

Earl of Grantham is a fictional title in the peerage of Great Britain. As of 1920, the current holder of the title is Robert Crawley. The Earl is addressed as "Lord Grantham" and the Countess as "Lady Grantham." The seat of the Earls of Grantham is Downton Abbey in Downton, Yorkshire. Their London residence in St. James's Square is Grantham House. Since the marriage of the eldest son of the Third Earl, the Earls of Grantham have owned Downton Place on the border with Durham in Eryholme, which came with his wife.

The peerage was created in 1772. The courtesy title of the heir apparent is Lord Downton; Viscount Downton is one of the Earl of Grantham's subsidiary titles and has not been used since sometime during the 1890s.

Robert's father established an entail after his son married wealthy American heiress Cora Levinson, which determined that the title, estate, and Cora's fortune would all be tied together - and inherited by the present Earl's closest male relation.  Because Robert and Cora had no sons, Robert's first cousin James and his son Patrick stood to inherit.  Then, when they died on the RMS Titanic, the heir presumptive became Robert's third cousin once removed, Matthew Crawley. An attempt was made to break the entail, which would have meant Robert's eldest daughter Lady Mary would become heir to the estate, fortune, and be Countess of Grantham in her own right. The attempt however failed.

The current heir to the earldom is George Crawley, son of Matthew and Lady Mary; he became heir only hours after his birth when his father was killed in a car accident. It is likely that he will succeed his grandfather Robert as the next Earl. 

Earl Number Controversy

Through series four there remains conflicting information as to exactly which Earldom ordinally, is held by Robert. The book The Chronicles of Downton Abbey: A New Era indicates that Robert is the 7th Earl of Grantham. This would agree generationally, as it is known that Robert and Reginald Crawley, father of Matthew Crawley, are third cousins, and Reginald descends from a younger son of the third Earl.

Conflicting evidence is the existence of a picture of the prop used for Sybil's headstone indicating that she is the daughter of the 5th Earl. This prop has not appeared in any episode through series four where the text can be read. It also presents the problem that if Robert is the 5th Earl, his father was then the 4th, so it must be explained as to how the title skipped two generations to get back to the third Earl.

Notes

• The 3rd Earl of Grantham nearly went bankrupt and the 4th only saved Downton by dying.
• Different sources have said Robert is the 7th or 5th Earl.
• Even though George is Robert's grandson, he is still heir presumptive rather heir apparent since he can still hypothetically be displaced by a son of Robert and Cora.

List of Earls of Grantham

• 1st Earl of Grantham - Original holder of the title.
• 2nd Earl of Grantham - Son of the 1st Earl
• 3rd Earl of Grantham - Son of the 2nd Earl.
  • For the relationship between Robert and Matthew to be correct - namely "third cousins once removed" - the 3rd Earl must have survived his son and grandson for Robert to be the 5th Earl and for the relationship to be correct.
    • The eldest son of the 3rd Earl is Robert's ancestor and his wife is the woman who owned Downton Place, while the second son of the Third Earl is Matthew's "great-great-grandfather".
• 4th Earl of Grantham - There was at least a 4th Earl, but whether the 4th Earl was Robert's father is yet to be determined.
• 5th & 6th Earls of Grantham - If Robert is the 7th Earl, then there would be a 5th and 6th, with his father as the 6th.
• Robert Crawley, current holder of the title.

List of Earls wives styled as 'Countess of Grantham'.

• Violet Crawley - Robert's mother.
• Cora Crawley - Current Countess of Grantham.
  • Due to Matthew's death and the birth of her son, Mary – even with the law allowing women to succeed to titles in 1926 – will not become Countess of Grantham, as she cannot succeed to a peerage which simply does not descend to or through females.