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Bertie Pelham: "It's just me and Mother."
Cora: "You were joking when you said she was cock-a-hoop, but she must feel a certain pride."
Bertie Pelham: "I wasn't joking, but you can judge for yourself when you meet her."
Episode 6.08

Mrs (first name possibly Mirada)[1] Pelham is the widowed mother of Herbert Pelham, the mother-in-law of Edith Pelham, and the step-grandmother of Marigold. Upon the death of Peter Pelham, the 6th Marquess of Hexham, who was a second cousin of her late husband, she was said by Bertie to not "get the point of him" and did not appreciate her son's friendship with him. Nevertheless she was "cock-a-hoop" about Bertie becoming the 7th Marquess.

Biography[]

1925[]

Mrs Pelham meets her son's fiancée, Edith, and her parents, Lord and Lady Grantham. Mrs Pelham is initially delighted for them and reveals her moralistic attitude and the fact that she never really liked Peter Pelham, the late Lord Hexham and regarded him as immoral to which Bertie sternly shuts her down.

Edith then decided to come clean to Mrs Pelham about her past regarding Marigold as being her illegitimate daughter. Although Mrs Pelham is now against the marriage (saying she doesn't dislike Edith, but that she is "damaged goods"), Bertie claims he will still marry Edith nonetheless.

Bertie arranges a dinner with many guests to announce his engagement to Edith. When Robert asks Mrs Pelham about the announcement, she asks him what he means. Before Bertie can announce it, his mother makes a speech thanking everyone for being there and showing their support.

Bertie stands again, saying he has an announcement of his own. But Robert whispers to Mrs Pelham that she should speak now or she'll have lost her son forever, to which she interrupts Bertie again and announces her son and Edith are engaged to be married.

After dinner, Mrs Pelham acknowledges that Edith not only has both birth and brains, but was unimpeachably honest and willing to deny herself happiness rather than claim it by deceit. She gives her blessing to the match.

Mrs Pelham then attends the wedding of her son and Edith at Downton and wishes Edith to just love her son and that is all Mrs Pelham asks for. After the wedding, Mrs Pelham is then seen playing with Marigold. Before Edith leaves on honeymoon with Bertie, she tells her new mother-in-law she hopes she won't disappoint her. Mrs. Pelham tells her to just love her son.

Appearances[]

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


References[]

  1. An article on The Mirror website from 12-25-2015 - Lady Edith marries Bertie Pelham after he begs for forgiveness in emotional Downton Abbey Christmas finale - gives Mrs Pelham's first name as "Mirada", but doesn't cite a source for this. Nor is there any evidence what Mrs Pelham's first name is in the show itself, in the episode credits, in the series companion books or in any other official Downton sources. It's very likely that the author of the Mirror article either made it up completely or got it mixed up with the TV show "Miranda" which the actress, Patricia Hodge, also starred in.
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