Earl of Grantham is a fictional title in the peerage of Great Britain.[1] As of 1920, the current holder of the title is Robert Crawley, the 5th Earl. 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.[2] The courtesy title of the heir apparent is Lord Downton; Viscount Downton is one of the Earl of Grantham's subsidiary titles[3] 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 6th Earl.
Notes
- The 3rd Earl of Grantham nearly went bankrupt and the 4th Earl - Robert's father - only saved Downton by dying[4].
- 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[5]
- 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".
- 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.
- 4th Earl of Grantham - great-grandson of the 3rd Earl[6]; Robert's father and Violet's husband.
- Robert Crawley, 5th Earl of Grantham - son of the 4th Earl; current holder of the title.
List of Earls wives styled as 'Countess of Grantham'.
- Violet Crawley, 4th Countess of Grantham - Robert's mother.
- Cora Crawley, 5th Countess of Grantham - 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.
References
- ↑ According to Wikipedia, the Peerage of Great Britain includes all peerages created between 1707 and 1801
- ↑ The Series 1 press pack confirms that the peerage was granted to the Crawley family in 1772.
- ↑ The press pack confirms that, when Robert and Cora married in 1889, Robert was known as Viscount Downton:File:Press_Pack_2.jpg
- ↑ Episode 3.07
- ↑ He has to be a son of the 1st Earl as the first Earl was granted the title of Earl of Grantham and it is his descendants that would be able to inherit the title.
- ↑ We know this to be correct, as Sybil's grave confirms she is the daughter of the 5th Earl; as well as this, Robert states that Downton Place came with his "great-grandmother" who would be the wife of the eldest son of the 3rd Earl.
