April 1912:- The heir to the title of Earl of Grantham, long time inhabitant of Downton Abbey, perishes on the 'Titanic'. Robert, the benevolent current earl, owes his we ...

September 1912. Designated heir Matthew Crawley and his mother Isobel arrive and move into a house in the grounds of Downton Abbey but Matthew is uncomfortable with havin ...

March 1913. Gwen, one of the maids, has bought a typewriter and has applied for a secretarial post. Most of the staff are dismissive of her aspirations but the family - e ...

May 1913. A fair comes to the village and here Mrs. Hughes meets up with an old flame, Joe, who once asked her to marry him and does so again. Despite being gay, Thomas e ...

August 1913. O'Brien and Thomas continue to spread their malice, ensuring that Lady Edith learns from Daisy where Kemal died and attempting to frame John Bates for the th ...

May 1914. Encouraged by politically aware chauffeur Tom Branson, the socially conscious Lady Sybil espouses politics as a means of aiding equality for women and the lower ...

July 1914. In London former suitor Evelyn Napier assures Lady Mary that it was Edith, not he, who spread gossip about her and Kemal. Mary counters by wrecking her sister' ...