Downton Abbey Changed Lady Mary & Edith’s Lives In The Same Episode

Downton Abbey changed the lives of Lady Mary Crawley (Michelle Dockery) and Lady Edith Crawley (Laura Carmichael) in the same episode. Downton Abbey season 5’s Christmas special, “A Moorland Holiday,” brought the Crawley family to Brancaster Castle in Northumberland at the invitation of Lady Rose Aldridge (Lily James) and her in-laws, the Sinderbys.

After the tragic death of Matthew Crawley (Dan Stevens) at the end of Downton Abbey season 3, Lady Mary spent the next couple of seasons mourning her husband before juggling two potential suitors, Tony Gillingham (Tom Cullen) and Charles Blake (Julian Ovenden). Yet neither were up to the mark for Mary.

Similarly, Lady Edith mourned the death of her lover, Michael Gregson (Charles Edwards), and spent Downton Abbey seasons 4 and 5 hiding the truth about their daughter, Marigold (Eva and Karina Samms). The Crawleys’ visit to Brancaster Castle at the end of Downton Abbey season 5 saw Mary and Edith both meet their future husbands,

Lady Mary Met Her Second Husband In Downton Abbey’s Season 5 Christmas Special

Matthew Goode Joined Downton As Henry Talbot

Lady Mary met her second husband, Henry Talbot (Matthew Goode), in Downton Abbey season 5’s Christmas special. Talbot and his companion, Charlie Rogers (Sebastian Dunn), were friends of Lady Rose’s husband, Atticus Aldridge (Matt Barber). Henry and Mary shared an instant attraction and chemistry while grouse shooting, and they courted throughout Downton Abbey season 6.

However, Henry was a driver who loved racing, and Charlie Rogers’ tragic death during a race at Brooklands made Mary decide she couldn’t marry Talbot. Eventually, however, Mary relented, and she and Henry married at the end of Downton Abbey season 6. In 1927, Henry and Mary had a daughter named Caroline, as seen in the 2019 Downton Abbey movie.

Lady Edith Also Met Her Husband In Downton Abbey’s Season 5 Christmas Special

Harry Hadden-Paton Joined Downton As Bertie Pelham

Lady Mary simultaneously met her husband, Bertie Pelham (Harry Hadden-Paton), in Downton Abbey season 5’s Christmas special. Bertie was the land agent of Brancaster Castle, and he was a cousin to the new Marquess of Hexam. Bertie and Edith began dating after seeing each other in London, although Mary cruelly told Bertie that Marigold was Edith’s daughter before Edith could.

Bertie suddenly became the new Marquess of Hexam when his cousin unexpectedly died in Tangiers. Bertie broke Edith’s heart by breaking off their engagement because she didn’t tell him about Marigold. At Mary’s insistence, Bertie begged Edith’s forgiveness, and they were married at the end of Downton Abbey season 6, making Lady Edith the new Marchioness of Hexam.

Edith’s Marriage In Downton Abbey Was More Successful Than Mary’s

Downton Abbey: The Grand Finale Reveals Mary Is Divorced

Although Lady Mary and Lady Edith were both madly in love with their new husbands, Mary’s second marriage failed. Downton Abbey: The Grand Finale‘s trailer reveals that Mary and Henry Talbot are divorced by 1930. Henry only briefly appeared in Downton Abbey (2019), but he was still smitten by Mary. In Downton Abbey: A New Era, however, Mary lamented that the absent Henry loved cars more than her.

Meanwhile, Lady Edith’s marriage to her devoted Bertie is still going strong, and there is no hint of marital trouble between the Hexams in Downton Abbey: The Grand Finale. Considering how favored Lady Mary was throughout Downton Abbey, it’s ironic that Mary’s two marriages ended while the long-suffering Edith found enduring happiness with her husband and children.