Top 20 Facts Downton Abbey Got Right

#20: Auguste Escoffier

One of the charming things about “Downton Abbey” is how real historical events and figures are woven into the show to make it feel more grounded. Alfred Nugent’s storyline with the Ritz is a perfect example. In Series 4, Alfred heads to London to chase his dreams of becoming a chef. If you listen closely, you’ll hear the name of the revered chef, Auguste Escoffier, mentioned during this journey of his. Escoffier was indeed a legendary French chef, also called “the king of chefs and chef of kings.” He didn’t just make food taste good. He transformed French cuisine by making it glamorous, modern, and disciplined. He cooked for kings, emperors, and celebrities while creating iconic dishes like the beloved Pêche Melba.

#19: The Sketch

Remember the “Sketch,” the magazine owned by Michael Gregson and later inherited by Edith Pelham? While it plays an important role in their storyline, it may be inspired by the real-life Sketch magazine, which ran in London from 1893 to 1959. This society publication was famous for its elegant illustrations of royalties, theatre stars, and fashion trends. Oh, and it was also the first magazine to publish Agatha Christie’s short stories. In short, it was where London society loved to flaunt itself. In the show, Lady Grantham is even seen reading the magazine after the Titanic sinks, showing how the series mixes glamorous details with heavier historical realities. “Downton Abbey” is clever that way.

#18: Women Couldn’t Inherit Estates

It may seem strange to some that Lord and Lady Grantham have three daughters, yet their estate must pass to a male relative. That’s because Downton Abbey, like many estates then, was “entailed.” This means the property couldn’t simply go to anybody the owner wished— it had to pass down through the male line, usually to the closest male heir. This helped prevent estates from leaving the family once daughters married. So when James Crawley and his son perished on the Titanic, the Downton estate ownership shifted to Matthew Crawley, a distant cousin. Luckily, Matthew marries Mary and they have a son before he dies, keeping the property in the family. Yep–it’s a frustrating but fascinating detail that adds to the show’s drama.

#17: The Kemal Pamuk Inspiration

Scandals are juicy enough, but one that ends in death is downright jaw-dropping. That’s what makes the story of Mr. Kemal Pamuk so unforgettable. Pamuk, the handsome Turkish diplomat, sweeps Mary into a secret affair only to die suddenly in her room. The scandal forces the household into damage control as his body is carried back to his room. Here’s the wild part: while Mr. Pamuk is fictional, the event itself is inspired by a true story. Julian Fellowes revealed he learned about this from a friend who discovered a dusty diary belonging to a great-great-aunt. The diary contained the same shocking details – a diplomat sneaking into a young woman’s room, dying there, and the chaos of covering it up. Very strange!

#16: Death in Childbirth Was Common

Lady Sybil Branson’s death was one of the most heartbreaking moments in “Downton Abbey.” What makes it even more powerful is how tragically real it was for women of her time. After giving birth, Sybil suffers violent seizures brought on by “eclampsia.” The condition is caused by high blood pressure in pregnancy, which can lead to organ failure, seizures, and even death. Today, doctors can detect and manage it early, but in the 20th century, it was often a silent killer. Pre-eclampsia wasn’t well-understood then, and even when doctors discovered the signs, treatment options were limited. So, by writing Sybil’s death this way, the show wasn’t just trying to tug at heartstrings – it was reflecting a brutal reality of history.

#15: The Estate Money Woes

What “Downton Abbey” does brilliantly well is explore some poignant truths of its time period–such as the money troubles of the aristocracy. For centuries, a grand country estate was the beating heart of an aristocratic family’s identity, power, and status. To be “Lord of the Manor” meant wealth, influence, and a place in society. But by the early 20th century, things began to change. Farming profits shrank, staff disappeared after the war, and rising taxes drained even the wealthiest households. Men like Robert married a rich American heiress, such as Cora, just to keep the estates afloat. Yet, sometimes that wasn’t even enough. It took Matthew’s fresh, business-minded approach to save the estate. Unfortunately for some, they lost their estates entirely.

#14: The King’s Speech

In “Downton Abbey’s” fifth series, viewers are drawn to a transformative moment, not on a battlefield but in the drawing room. Lord Grantham agrees to having a wireless in the house just to hear the King’s speech. The Crawleys and others gather around this strange device. The King’s voice suddenly fills the room. It’s a powerful, understated scene that mirrors history. The groundbreaking radio broadcast happened in 1924 when King George V opened the British Empire Exhibition over BBC radio. For many, it was probably the first time ever hearing the monarch’s voice. Indeed, it marked the dawn of a new era where the monarch’s presence could no longer travel only through carriages, but via signals.

#13: The King & Queen’s Visit

Infusing historical events into its tantalizing storyline didn’t just stop with the “Downton Abbey” series. In its 2019 follow-up film, the Crawley household is thrown into chaos when they learn that King George V and Queen Mary are coming to visit. While the Crawleys are fictional, the event isn’t plucked out of thin air. In real life, King George and Mary toured stately homes, including a 1912 visit to Wentworth Woodhouse in Yorkshire. That’s where Fellowes got the idea that fuels the film’s narrative. During this time, these visits were a way of strengthening ties with aristocracy. So, the attempted murder and other elements may be embellishments, but the heart of the story is rooted in truth.

#12: The Spanish Flu

Lavinia Swire didn’t have such a long time on “Downton Abbey,” all thanks to the deadly illness that claimed her. For those who may not recall, she was supposed to marry Matthew even though his heart belonged to Mary. Shortly after learning of their feelings for one another, Lavinia dies of Spanish Influenza. The Flu was particularly deadly for young people like her and could turn fatal in 24 hours. That’s why she looks stable at one point, only to worsen drastically later–though unlike her, Cora survives. Historically, the Spanish Flu occurred during 1918 and 1920, right after World War I, killing millions worldwide. While the show inserts it into its storyline, the real pandemic was far more serious than depicted.

#11: The Nazi SA Thugs

Remember Michael Gregson, Edith’s ill-fated lover? He cared for her so deeply that he planned to change his citizenship, hoping to divorce his wife and marry Edith. He never returned after travelling to Munich for that purpose. It’s not until Series 5 that we learn that Gregson had been dead for a long time–killed during the Beer Hall Putsch. Robert reveals that Gregson was killed by Adolf Hitler’s brownshirts, which ties his tragic end to a true event. The Beer Hall Putsch was Hitler’s failed attempt to overthrow the Bavarian government in Munich. The revolution left several people dead and ultimately led to Hitler’s arrest. Once again, “Downton Abbey” wove its drama into the fabric of real-world events.

#10: The Titanic

The first episode of the series begins in 1912, and sees the household waking up and getting ready as usual, only to receive news of perhaps the most famous nautical accident in history: the sinking of the RMS Titanic. Over 1,500 people of varying classes perished, but “Downtown Abbey” made the tragedy personal for the Crawley family when they discover that Lord Grantham’s cousin, and heir presumptive to the earldom, James Crawley, and James’ son, Patrick, Lady Mary’s fiancé, both died in the accident. It’s this galvanizing event that sets the whole drama in motion. While fictional here, for some aristocratic families, loss of heirs would have been a real problem in the aftermath.

#9: World War I

The Great War was like nothing the world had ever seen. Sparked over the assassination of Archduke Franz Ferdinand of Austria, all of Europe became locked in a war of attrition. Soldiers who managed to survive the grueling trench warfare and come back from the front were irreparably changed, both physically and psychologically. Though “Downton Abbey” skips years in the war, it does accurately show the harrowing effects on soldiers in battle. Luckily for productions looking to portray the First World War, people like Taff Gillingham exist. A fan and stickler for history, he actually has trenches in Ipswich that he rents for accurate portrayal on-screen, and also taught the actors how to load ammunition properly. And “Downton” was even accurate off the battlefield; Highclere Castle, the real-life location, was in fact involved in the war effort, though as an actual hospital, rather than a convalescent home.

#8: Views on Technology

While there was a great deal of optimism regarding new inventions throughout the 19th and 20th centuries, many household technological advancements were treated with a great deal of skepticism – at least by the upper classes. Electric lights were seen as gaudy; telephones were impersonal and confusing; and mechanical equipment excessive noise. Even cars when they first showed up on the scene were thought to be ridiculous. However, lower classes tended to like new technology as it made their lives easier … and for that reason upper classes considered the advances crass. Old habits die hard, especially when it’s attached to the lifestyles of Old Money.

#7: Fashion

The fastest way to immerse an audience in a historical drama is with accurate costume and set pieces, and the costume designers did a great job; spanning from 1912 to 1925, the women’s clothing especially had to be spot-on. Be it subtle, as with changing hem and bust lines, or dramatic (like when Sybil wore harem pants, gasp!) female fashion tends to change rapidly based on social attitudes and desires. However, while the threads were for the most part top-notch, it has been noted by some that everyone (servants especially) would have been dirtier – even in a manor house. Guess realistic depictions of how badly everyone smelled back then is sort of fantasy buzz-kill.

#6: Royal Scandals

Be honest, everyone loves a good scandal. Royal scandals were the celebrity gossip of the time, and seeing as some of the upper classes might know some of the royals involved, it was even more salacious. In Series 4, a letter from the Prince of Wales (the future, very temporary, King of England) to his lover and mistress Mrs. Freda Ward is stolen, and fears of a scandal are ignited. King Edward VIII would abdicate the throne in 1936 for a different socialite, Wallis Simpson, but the earlier scandal – that he’d been having an affair with the married Mrs. Ward – was well known by the higher class, and there were in fact letters between the two.

#5: Downstairs Romances

“Downton Abbey” focused not just on the aristocrats, but of the lives of the servants as well, which naturally included their romantic lives. It’s not impossible to fathom that servants – both on the show and in real life – would potentially spend a lot of time together and maybe sleep together. And yes, it did happen, but not everyone was as liberal as the Crawleys. A liaison between staff members of a great house was grounds for firing most of the time.

#4: Class Struggles

The truth is that the early 20th century was a bad time to be anything but rich. XREF The divide between upper and lower class was stark, and for lower classes there was virtually no way up. Before unions, people toiled for long hours, and were frequently exploited. All around the world, resentment was stirring in the working class for the upper classes, who had it better simply by being born. We see this in several episodes, especially post WWI. The rise of socialism at this time grew out a desire for a more balanced and just society, and it’s no surprise some of the servants began to have real ambitions.

#3: Women's Rights

Women's rights are still debated today, but in the era of “Downton” women couldn't vote, or have any true life outside of marriage. In the Commonwealth (example, Canada) women weren’t even recognized as persons under the law until 1929! The birth control movement only began in the 19th and 20th centuries, and several women on “Downton Abbey” depict the stigma associated with it, whether it’s Lady Edith having an illegitimate daughter and figuring out how to hide it, or Lady Mary sending her maid Anna to get contraceptives after reading a book by Marie Stopes on the subject. “Downton” was careful with its depiction of female characters, giving them relatable problems, but grounding them in history.

#2: British Marrying Rich Americans

In the Gilded Age, marrying for money had become a regular practice in Aristocratic households. Lord Grantham married his American wife, Cora Levinson, because she was a rich heiress. This became very common, as many of the titled Lords really had no money from years of frivolous family spending, selling off land, and just generally the diminishing power of Europe. In America, manufacturers and industrialists were making fortunes. Of course, not everyone was happy about unions between the British and Americans. Those who came from old money, like the Dowager Countess, found it low-class, and the women who married in were surprised to find their new homes lacking the modern conveniences they enjoyed, like heat.

#1: The Entail

Ah, The Entail, the discriminative law that served as the catalyst for the entire show. Good thing that such sad, unfair legislations are a thing of the – What? It still exists? Oh. On “Downton,” Robert, the Earl of Grantham, has only daughters, and therefore because of their gender, they are excluded from inheriting the earldom, as well as Downton itself. This particularly affects his eldest daughter, Lady Mary. While the entail, or fee tail, was technically abolished in 1925, it still continues in a certain capacity. In 2013, however, the British Parliament tried to pass the Equality (Titles) Bill, aka “Downton Abbey Law” (really!) to end the gender discrimination and allow equal succession. The Bill did not pass.

Which historical detail in “Downton Abbey” amazed you the most? Let us know in the comments.