Mary Crawley

## LadyMary Crawley

 The Honorable Mary Crawley (formerly)
 Lady Mary Talbot (formerly)
 My Lady
 Milady
 Mary
 Cousin Mary
 Queen Mary (by Tom, Alex, and Edith)
 My Darling (by her parents and spouses)
 Mummy (by her children)
 Auntie Mary
 Mrs. Levinson (alias)

 Peter Pelham, Earl of Brancaster
 Lord Theodore Pelham
 Arthur Crawley, Viscount Downton
 Lord Benedict Crawley
 Lord Christopher Crawley
 Lady Diana Crawley
 Lord Edmund Crawley

### Relatives

Mr. Reginald Crawley † (paternal third cousin once removed/father-in-law, via Matthew)
 Isobel Grey, Lady Merton (mother-in-law, via Matthew)

 Richard Grey, Lord Merton (stepfather-in-law, via Matthew/godfather)
 Patrick Crawley, 6th Earl of Grantham † (paternal grandfather)
 Violet Crawley, Dowager Countess of Grantham † (paternal grandmother)
 Lady Rosamund Painswick (paternal aunt)
 Mr. Marmaduke Painswick † (paternal uncle by marriage)
 Miss Delilah Mellark (paternal aunt by partnership)
 Mr. Isidore Levinson † (maternal grandfather)
 Mrs. Martha Levinson † (maternal grandmother)
 Mr. Harold Levinson (maternal uncle)
 Mr. Tom Branson (former brother-in-law, via Sybil)
 Herbert Pelham, Marquess of Hexham (brother-in-law, via Edith)
 Josephine Crawley, Countess of Grantham (sister-in-law, via Alex)
 Susan MacClare, Marchioness of Flintshire (paternal first cousin once removed)
 Hugh MacClare, Marquess of Flintshire (paternal first cousin-in-law once removed)
 Rose Aldridge, Lady Sinderby (paternal second cousin)
 Atticus Aldridge, Lord Sinderby (paternal second cousin-in-law)
 Hon. Victoria Rachel Cora Aldridge (paternal second cousin once removed)
 Hon. Hugh Daniel Atticus Aldridge (paternal second cousin once removed)
 Hon. Robert Alexander David Aldridge (paternal second cousin once removed)
 Maud, Lady Bagshaw (paternal second cousin once removed)
 Mrs. Lucy Branson (née Smith) (paternal second cousin twice removed)

## Affiliations

### Occupation

Co-owner of the Downton Estate
 Businesswoman

### Loyalty

Downton Abbey
 Crawley Family
 Matthew Crawley †
 Alexander Crawley
 Anna Bates
 Charles Carson

## Coat of Arms

Arms of Lady Mary Crawley (1891-1920)

Arms of Lady Mary Talbot (1920-1921, 1925-1928)

Arms of Lady Mary Crawley (1921-1925, 1928-)

**Lady** **Mary Crawley** (b. 15 August, 1891), known mostly as **Lady Mary**, is the eldest daughter and child of the late Robert and Cora Crawley. She is the eldest sister and sibling of Edith Pelham, Marchioness of Hexham, the late Lady Sybil Branson, and Alexander Crawley, 8th Earl of Grantham. She is a prominent member of the Crawley Family, and was a member of the Talbot Family through her second marriage.

## Biography

* Early Life
* Marriage and Children

Mary was born on the early afternoon hours of August 15, 1891. She was the first child and eldest daughter of Robert Crawley, 7th Earl of Grantham and Cora Crawley, Countess of Grantham. She was born more than year after her parents' marriage. She was 13 months older than her sister Edith, 4 years older than her youngest sister Sybil, and 23 years older than her brother Alexander.

She is also the first grandchild and eldest granddaughter of Patrick & Violet, Earl and Dowager Countess of Grantham; and Isidore & Martha Levinson. She is the eldest niece of Lady Rosamund Painswick and Mr. Harold Levinson.

Mary was married to Matthew Crawley May 1920. The two had a son, George Crawley (b. September 1921). Shortly after their son's birth, Matthew was killed in a car accident.

She then married Henry Talbot in 1925, and they have a daughter, Caroline Talbot (b. May 1926). The couple then divorced two years later in 1928.
## Appearance and Personality

Mary is an elegant woman. She is slender and tall with thin wrists and long fingers. She is sought after by many men throughout her lifetime. She has raven black waves and brown eyes, accompanied by perfectly arched brows, black lashes, high cheekbones and clear porcelain skin. She originally had long hair which was pinned up, but then decided to adopt the shingle bob of the 1920s era. Like her brother, she bears a noticeable physical resemblance to their mother Cora.

Mary was once known to be cold, bitter, opaque, and quite mean, but her romance with Matthew brings her kindness and vulnerability to light. She is a caring lady and takes Matthew's death to heart, remaining in mourning for more than six months after his death.

She proves to be an extremely loyal employer to Anna and John Bates, and is also extremely loyal to her family and friends. She is also very fond to Mr. Carson, who Mary sees as a surrogate father.

Despite the constant rivalry between herself and her sister Edith, they shared an embrace and kind words at the death of their younger sister Sybil. Contrary to her relationship with Edith, Mary loved her youngest siblings dearly and was very protective of them. While she cares for her dear sister Sybil, Mary and Alex's sibling relationship comes in the form of playful banters.

Later on, after the tragic death of Matthew, she begins to return, in some ways, to her old self. Her relationship with Edith deteriorates yet again. However, later on, after Mary finds out the truth about Marigold and tells Bertie, Mary eventually regrets her actions, makes peace with Edith, and tries to have a better relationship with her, going as far as to apologize to Edith and reconcile Edith and Bertie.

Mary does show herself to be very open-minded and progressive at times, befriending her former brother-in-law Tom Branson, the family's former chauffeur. She supports him in his decision to raise his daughter as a Catholic, showing she bears none of the anti-Catholic prejudices that were common in her time. She also is very supportive of her cousin Rose's decision to marry a Jewish man, Atticus Aldridge, at a time when, due to antisemitism, many people might frown on such a match. It was also due to the fact of her own Jewish ancestry, as her maternal grandfather was Jewish).

Upon learning that Matthew named her as his heir shortly before his death, Mary resolves to take an active role in the running of the Downton Estate. In doing so, she works to continue the process of modernization that Matthew had begun, often at odds with her father's more conservative and pragmatic approach. While not overtly feminist, Mary begins to take on traditionally masculine duties such as acting as the estate's agent, meeting with tenant farmers, and concerning herself with business decisions—all of which she eventually taught to her brother as he reached his youth. Understanding the postwar reality that estates such as Downton are in peril, her drive and motivation is ensuring that the Estate remains whole for her entire family.

## Story

###### The Life of Viscount Downton (Book 1)

Mary greeted Alex as he arrived back to the House from his errands. Alex chuckles and greeted her with a kiss on the cheek. He then joined her—along with their father and brother-in-law Tom at the breakfast table.

## Name Etymology

* **Mary** is a female name of Hebrew origin, meaning *"drop of the sea, bitter, or beloved".*

* **Josephine** is girl's name of French origin, meaning *"Jehovah increases"*.
	+ She most likely named after the character Josephine March in Little Women, which was one of Cora's favorite books.