- "I'm the old broom, Mr Crawley. You are the new. I wish you luck with your sweeping."
- —Jarvis to Matthew Crawley, upon his resignation.[src]
Jarvis was Lord Grantham's estate manager for forty years, from 1880 to 1920. He was hired by Robert's father, Patrick and as a result, according to Violet, he always viewed Robert as the "young master", even after Robert had succeeded his father as Earl.
Javis resigned from his position in mid-to-late 1920, when Matthew Crawley (Lord Grantham's heir presumptive) proposed new ways of running Downton, to reduce "waste". Jarvis took that as a great personal insult, as an accusation of malfeasance and corruption, and resigned.
Branson, Lord Grantham's son-in-law, was hired as Jarvis's successor. He, his daughter, and his daughter's nanny moved into Jarvis's original home, mentioning Jarvis took all his furniture with him.
Behind the scenes
- Jarvis was portrayed by Barry Jackson.