Isobel Crawley (nee Turnbull)
Biographical information
Marital status	Widow
Residence	Crawley House, Downton, Yorkshire France (formerly) Manchester, Lancashire (formerly)
Title(s)	Mrs Crawley Mother Mama Cousin Isobel Mrs Reginald Crawley Miss Isobel Turnbull (before marriage)
Physical information
Gender	Female
Family information
Family	Sir John Turnbull (father)[1] Mrs. Turnbull (mother) Dr. Edward Turnbull (brother) Dr. Reginald Crawley (husband) † Matthew Crawley (son) † Lady Mary Crawley (daughter-in-law) George Crawley (grandson) Cousin [2]
Affiliation
Occupation	Nurse Chairman of the Downton Cottage Hospital
Behind the scenes
Portrayed by	Penelope Wilton

Isobel Crawley (nee Turnbull; b. between 1853 and 1862^[3]) is the widow of medical doctor Reginald Crawley, mother of her only son the late Matthew Crawley, the mother-in-law of Lady Mary Crawley, and grandmother of Master George Crawley.

Contents 1 Background 2 Season One 3 Season Two 4 Season Three 5 Personality 6 Relationships 7 Quotes 8 Behind the scenes 9 Appearances 10 References 11 Comments

Background Edit

Isobel Crawley is well-educated, trained as a nurse, and she comes from a middle-class background and she values family, charity, and education.

She is a daughter, sister, and wife of doctors, as her father, Sir John Turnbull, her brother, Dr. Edward Turnbull, and her late husband Reginald Crawley practiced medicine. Further contributing to her medical knowledge, she herself studied to be a nurse during the Boer War. Isobel and her only son Matthew both lived in a house in Manchester, England, where Matthew worked as a solicitor

Season One Edit

Matthew received a letter informing him that he was Robert Crawley, Earl of Grantham's heir, next in line to the title, estate, and wealth of Downton Abbey. At first Matthew was considering turning it down, but the inheritance is automatic. She and Matthew both moved to Downton to start their new lives, where they now live in Crawley House with their new butler /valet Molesley, their cook Mrs Bird and their housemaid who moved from Manchester with them. Isobel uses her nursing skills when she takes an inerest in the Downton Cottage Hospital. She finds a local farmer, John Drake, who is dying of dropsy. She is more familiar with the new technique to cure it and persuades Dr. Clarkson to try it, saving the man's life. Isobel is later appointed Chairman at the Downton Cottage Hospital, which she co-chairs with Violet Crawley. Isobel embodies a different set of values to those of the Crawleys, and because of this is often in conflict with Violet Crawley, Dowager Countess of Grantham, and Cora Crawley, Countess of Grantham. Isobel finds fault with the tradition of Violet winning the rose completion of the flower show every year, and she succeeds in persuading Violet Crawley of this, which allows Bill Molesley to win.

Season TwoEdit

Isobel persuades the Robert and Cora to turn Downton into a convalescent homes for injured soldiers, so as to free up hospital beds at the cottage hospital for critical patients. She takes up a position of authority at Downton, as co-person in charge alongside with Cora, during the war. She and Cora clash about the daily running and management of Downton's convalescent home. As a result she leaves Downton for France to work with the Red Cross. She later returns when she discovers that Matthew was injured in the war, and she has stayed at Downton ever since.

Isobel suggests to Violet and Cora that they keep Downton convalescent home open after the war to help the soldiers to rebuild their lives and recover, much to their dismay since both want life to return to normal as soon as possible. Violet manages to convince Isobel that refugees left displaced and disadvantaged by the war need her help more than Downton. Shortly before Matthew and Lavinia's wedding, Lavinia shows mild symptoms of Spanish flu, so because she will be feeling unwell for the next couple of weeks Isobel decides the wedding day will have to be delayed until everyone recovers from Spanish flu. A few hours later, Isobel and Matthew learned that Lavinia's condition has taken a turn for the worse, and sadly Lavinia dies of Spanish flu and she attended her funeral.

Isobel attended Christmas and New Year celebrations at Downton with her son, Isobel and the Crawley family show their support for John Bates who was arrested for the murder of his first wife Vera Bates, she alongside the Crawley family and some of the Crawley staff, who truly believe that he was not a murderer. She attended Bates trial and supports John's second wife Anna Bates, and Downton staff members who were call up to the stand during the trial.

She initially opposed to Matthew's relationship with Lady Mary Crawley, after the death of his fiancée, she helps persuade him to propose to her again, which he does, and Mary happily accepts.

Season ThreeEdit

She was one of the few who felt Sybil should return, with her husband, for Matthew and Mary's wedding, and stand up for their right to do so. Sybil asks her father if he sent her the money to come to Mary's wedding. Robert said that he suspected that Isobel had done so, and Sybil is determined to ask her, before Violet admits that she had sent it. When Matthew announced he wanted Tom to be his best man, she happily applauded his decision. Though kind and sympathetic to Tom, she did not disagree with Violet when they insisted he dress the part for the wedding.

Isobel's new cause is helping woman reduced by circumstances to prostitution. She finds former Downton maid Ethel Parks had turned to prostitution after falling on hard times, and is determined to help her. She supported Ethel through the difficult decision to give up her child to the Bryants. Afterwards, she was kind enough to hire Ethel as her maid despite the disapproval of others, including Mrs. Bird who resigns in protest. Ethel is snubbed in a grocery store, and Isobel says that they should not shop there in the future. Violet Crawley puts an ad in the newspaper to find her a new position, in a different place, where she can make a new life. Isobel insists that it must be Ethel's decision.

Isobel is the first person that Matthew tells when he learns that he may be heir to Reggie Swire's estate. After Edith is jilted at the altar, Isobel says that the only way to help her is to find something for her to do. Isobel is at the train station to see Matthew off to Scotland. She invites both Tom and Dr. Clarkson to dinner at her house while the rest of the famly are away. She praises Tom for his rise, and later attends the Thirsk fair with Dr. Clarkson. She realizes that Dr. Clarkson is going to propose to her, but she gently lets him know that she has no interest in marriage, thus maintaining their friendship. She sees Matthew again at the hospital when baby George is born, and when Matthew arrives he sends her home. It is the last time she ever sees him.

PersonalityEdit

Isobel believes that the world needs to adapt and change with the times. She takes up causes to help the disadvantaged and strives to make the world a better place.

Relationships Edit

Isobel has a prickly relationship with the Dowager Countess, arguing over different things.

QuotesEdit

• "I like a man of strong beliefs." - to Violet and Cora about Tom Branson.
• "Have you changed your pills?" - to Violet over Lady Edith's interest in becoming a journalist.

Behind the scenes Edit

• Isobel Crawley, is played by actress Penelope Wilton.
• In "The Chronicles of Downton Abbey : A New Era" by Jessica Fellowes and Matthew Sturgis, Jullian Fellowes relates that the character of Isobel is based on a psychology professor who was the wife of his godfather.

AppearancesEdit

Appearances and Mentions
Series 1	Episode 1 Appears	Episode 2 Appears	Episode 3 Appears	Episode 4 Appears	Episode 5 Appears	Episode 6 Appears	Episode 7 Appears	—	—
Series 2	Episode 1 Appears	Episode 2 Appears	Episode 3 Appears	Episode 4 Appears	Episode 5 Appears	Episode 6 Appears	Episode 7 Appears	Episode 8 Appears	Christmas Special Appears
Series 3	Episode 1 Appears	Episode 2 Appears	Episode 3 Appears	Episode 4 Appears	Episode 5 Appears	Episode 6 Appears	Episode 7 Appears	Episode 8 Appears	Christmas Special Appears

ReferencesEdit

1. ↑ The Downton Abbey script page 92 confirms Isobel's maiden name and her father and brother's names.
2. ↑ Isobel says "I've had a letter from a cousin in paris who's working for the wounded and missing department." in Series 2 Episode 4.
3. ↑ The Downton Abbey Script: page 71 states that Isobel is an "attractive woman in her fifties" meaning that she was born between 1853 and 1862; being born in 1853 would make her 59 and being born in 1862 would make her 50.