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Downton Abbey

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Downton Abbey is a fictional story set in England about an aristocratic

English family and the servants who live and work in their home.

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The time period in which the story takes place is 1912 to 1919. They call

this time in English history the “Edwardian Age.”

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The characters live in Yorkshire, England in a large castle. Yorkshire

is about 200 miles from London.

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Meet the Family

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Robert Crawley, Earl of Grantham

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Lord Grantham takes care of Downton Abbey. He is married to Cora, and is the

father of Mary, Edith and Sybil.

His dog is named Isis (she’s a girl dog)

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The Sisters

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Lady Mary is the oldest sister. She has to marry a gentleman

because she is an aristocrat and does not have a job.

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An aristocrat is a rich person who owns property and who

may also have a title and servants to take care of them.

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They take care of the estate, hunt, go to parties

and do charity work.

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Lady Edith is the middle sister. She is often jealous of

her older sister and sometimes they argue.

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Lady Sybil is the youngest sister. She has modern ideas and wants

to work and earn a living. She does not want to be an aristocrat.

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Lady Sybil learns how to be a nurse and helps wounded

soldiers get better when war breaks out.

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Lady Sybil and the chauffeur are both interested in

politics. They fall in love and get married after the war.

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Violet Crawley, Dowager Countess of Grantham

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Lady Grantham is Lord Grantham’s mother and the

girls’ grandmother. She likes to give advice to her granddaughters.

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Cora Crawley, Countess of Grantham

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Lady Cora is the mother of Mary, Edith and Sybil. She was born in America. She became a countess

when she married the Earl.

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Matthew Crawley and Mrs. Crawley

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Mrs. Crawley is the mother of Matthew, who is a lawyer.

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Matthew was not an aristocrat until a cousin died. Now he is going to

inherit the estate and be very rich.

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When war comes, he goes to fight and gets hurt. But the family helps him get better.

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Then Matthew and Mary fall in love.

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Meet the Servants

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Carson, the butler, is in charge of all the servants.

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Mrs. Hughes is the housekeeper and makes sure the maids do

their job.

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Mr. Bates is Lord Grantham’s valet. He helps him dress and

take care of things.

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O’Brien is the lady’s maid to Lady Grantham. She helps her dress and helps her when she

is sick.

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Mrs. Patmore is the cook. Daisy is her helper.

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The servants are kind. They teach Sybil how to cook.

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Anna is a housemaid and she also helps the daughters dress.

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Thomas and William are footmen. They serve dinner and tea.

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People like Downton Abbey because the times were so different in the

old days. But everyone can relate to stories about love, work, and family.

The end!

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History 1912-1914

• 1912– William Taft is President of the U.S. and George V is the King of England.– The empress of China is forced to abdicate, ending 2000 years of imperial rule.

The Republic of China is formed.– The first cherry blossom trees are planted in Washington, DC.– The cruise ship the Titanic hits an iceberg and sinks, 1513 people die and 700

survive.– Baseball stadiums open around the U.S.– Ladies wear long dresses and corsets.– Beatrix Potter is writing children’s books.– The music of Irving Berlin is popular.– Freud and others form a committee to study psychoanalysis

• 1913– Woodrow Wilson becomes the 28th President of the U.S.– The U.S. starts federal income taxes– Women demand the right to vote– War breaks out in Eastern Europe– The Lincoln Highway opens: first U.S. paved coast-to-coast highway, from Times

Square, NY to Lincoln Park, San Francisco.– Ghandi stands up for rights in India– Charlie Chaplin starts making movies

• 1914– Henry Ford produces Model T cars using the assembly line method.– World War I begins: Germany, France, Britain, Belgium, Austria, Hungary,

Serbia, Turkey, Russia, etc.– First traffic light installed (Cleveland, Ohio)– U.S. Post Office uses an automobile to collect and deliver mail– Dada art movement

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History: 1915-1917

• 1915– WW1 continues all over Europe– Germany torpedoes the British ocean liner the

Lusitania and 1113 people die (many other ships)– Ku Klux Klan becomes active in Georgia– Albert Einstein publishes scientific theory of relativity

• 1916– Norman Rockwell’s first Saturday Evening Post cover– Coca cola is sold in markets– Babe Ruth sets baseball records– Woodrow Wilson is re-elected President– Child labor laws pass

• 1917– U.S. enters WW1 by declaring war on Germany– Tsar Nicholas abdicates his throne in Russia and is

imprisoned with his family by the Bolsheviks

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History: 1918-1919

• 1918– After being denied asylum in Britain, the Tsar and his family are

murdered by revolutionaries in Russia.– U.S. and Britain give women the right to vote.– 1st daylight savings time in U.S.– 1st airmail postal service in U.S.– Deadly Spanish Flu– World War 1 ends– Puccini’s operas become popular in U.S.– Claude Monet paints water lilies paintings

• 1919– Prohibition of alcohol in U.S.– Grand Canyon made a national park– Mussolini forms Fascist movement in Italy– 1st U.S. air passenger service starts– Race riots around the U.S.– U.S. born Lady Astor is elected first female member of British

Parliament– Bauhaus design movement begins– Records and victrolas are popular. Jazz and blues are popular

music forms (Al Jolson, Irving Berlin, Rodgers and Hart)