'Downton Abbey' Characters: Matthew Crawley Quiz

Answer: The sinking of the Titanic

The first series of 'Downton Abbey' was set between April 1912 and August 1914, with the first episode introducing the fact that the Earl of Grantham's first cousin and heir, James Crawley, had died in the Titanic disaster alongside his only son, Patrick. The Earl's previous plan to keep the title, estate and wealth within his family had been to marry off his eldest daughter, Lady Mary, to Patrick. The arrival of the previously unknown Matthew as the new heir meant that a new plan was needed - get Mary to marry Matthew instead (it might have been new, but it wasn't terribly original).

RMS Titanic famously sank on its maiden voyage between Southampton and New York on April 15th 1912, with the loss of over 1,500 lives. The policy of "women and children first" meant that over 80% of the passengers who perished were men - so James and Patrick Crawley would have had little chance of surviving the disaster. Although, as they would presumably have been first-class passengers, their odds would have been a bit better than most - but sadly not by much. (About 67% of male first-class passengers died compared to around 85% of those travelling second or third-class.)

Answer: Law

Since he wasn't brought up as a member of the aristocracy (or with any expectation of inheriting a title) Matthew attended university and earned his own living via a career as a solicitor specialising in industrial law. This made sense historically since in the early 20th century Manchester was still a major location for manufacturing and was particularly associated with the cotton industry.

Despite the upheaval of his move from Manchester to the small village of Downton (and his transformation from a middle-class worker to aristocratic heir) he continued his career by taking a job at a law firm in the nearby city of Ripon. This way of life was distinctly alien to the rest of the Crawley family, a fact that was perhaps best summed up by the Dowager Countess when she asked "Wh-what is a weekend?" in response to a comment from Matthew about not needing to go to the office every day.

Answer: She had refused to give him an answer

Getting the new heir to the estate to marry the eldest daughter of the current owner was a tidy solution that was suggested by various members of the family after Matthew first moved to Downton in 1912. However, these plans were almost enough to scupper such an event from ever happening as Matthew did not appreciate having one of the Crawley's daughters "thrown at him" while Mary resented the idea of having to marry him in order to retain ownership of her home.

Despite the inauspicious start to their relationship, during the first series of the show Matthew and Mary gradually got to know each other and fell in love - leading to Matthew's proposal of marriage. The problem came from the fact that Mary refused to make a decision and give him an answer. By August 1914 (after several months of hanging around) Matthew finally gave up, rescinded his proposal and left Downton for the battlefields of the newly declared First World War.

Answer: The Battle of the Somme

The second series of 'Downton Abbey' picked up around two years after where the first series left off. Matthew Crawley, now an army officer serving in the First World War, was seen in the thick of the trench warfare that defined the conflict. Amongst the shelling, shooting and general danger, some of the character's first lines related to a period of upcoming leave, the chance to gain some respite in London and his reflections on how far removed his current life was from the peaceful one he enjoyed at Downton.

The Battle of the Somme took place between 1st July and 18th November 1916 and cost the lives of over 1.3 million men - around 800,000 Allied troops and 500,000 Germans. After over four months of fighting and so many losses you'd have hoped that the result would have been worthwhile... however, the Allied forces gained just six miles worth of territory and the battle had little impact on the overall outcome of the war.

The Battles of Cambrai and Passchendaele (which was also known as the Third Battle of Ypres) both took place in 1917. The Second Battle of the Marne took place in 1918.

Answer: Lavinia Swire

Lavinia Swire was the daughter of a lawyer who Matthew met in London during a previous period of leave. Although their engagement was initially announced to Lord and Lady Grantham by his mother, Isobel, it was really Lady Mary's reaction to the news that had viewers reaching for the edges of their respective seats. Matthew introduced his new fiancée to the family at a charity fundraising event for the local hospital and the overwhelmed Lavinia was soon subjected to somewhat stilted dinner conversation and the acerbic wit of the Dowager Countess.

Although Mary pretended to be happy for Matthew and Lavinia, she was secretly heartbroken. Lavinia remained Matthew's fiancée for three years, but contracted the Spanish flu during the wedding preparations and died. However, shortly before her tragic death she had released Matthew from the engagement after she witnessed Matthew and Mary kissing.

The incorrect options were all housemaids at the Abbey during either the first or second series of the show.

Answer: Spinal cord injuries

Matthew and William went 'over the top' of the trenches together and William saved Matthew's life when he took the full force of an exploding shell that landed near them. However, Matthew's back was injured and once he was repatriated to the hospital in Downton village it became clear that Doctor Clarkson believed he would never walk again. Since the abbey itself had been turned into a convalescent home earlier in the war, Matthew was taken there to recuperate and several months later made a seemingly miraculous recovery when he was able to leap out of his wheelchair to save his fiancée when she tripped over a footstool while carrying a heavy tray...a moment that went down as one of the more surreal scenes in the show's history. It turned out that his spine had just been bruised after all.

The storyline involving the abbey becoming a convalescent home for wounded First World War officers mirrors real-life as Highclere Castle (which 'played' Downton Abbey in the series) was used as a military hospital during the war.

Answer: Tom Branson

The on-again-off-again relationship between Matthew and Lady Mary - that had been brewing since the very first episodes of the series - was finally resolved with their fairy-tale wedding in March 1920. The wedding provided an opportunity for the whole family to reunite: Mary's maternal grandmother, Martha Levinson (portrayed by Shirley MacLaine), visited from America for the occasion and Tom and Lady Sybil Branson returned from Ireland. Tensions between Tom and the rest of the Crawley family were eased when Matthew invited him to be his best man.

The couple had many obstacles placed in the way of their relationship over the first two series of the show including both of them becoming engaged to other people, Matthew's injury in the war and his guilt at finding happiness with Mary when he believed that his love for her had caused his first fiancée to die of a broken heart.

Answer: True

Lavinia Swire's father, Reggie, bequeathed his fortune to Matthew despite the knowledge that Matthew was in love with Lady Mary. However, Matthew was not aware of this small, yet important detail to begin with and was determined to turn down the bequest out of guilt. This wouldn't have been a major problem except for the fact that Robert had lost the family's entire fortune (which had mostly belonged to his wife Cora) by investing in the failed Grand Trunk Railway - a real-life business that operated in eastern Canada and the US prior to its bankruptcy and nationalisation by the Canadian government in 1920.

Eventually all the misunderstandings were ironed out and Matthew used Reggie Swire's money to save the Crawley family from having to sell the abbey. Obviously, he was also protecting his own inheritance as well and his investment meant that the heir became co-owner of the estate much earlier than he would have otherwise expected.

Answer: He had a car accident

The episode in question was actually the Christmas special episode, broadcast on Christmas Day 2012 in the UK. However, it was set during the autumn while the Crawley family, including a heavily pregnant Lady Mary, were paying a visit to relatives at Duneagle Castle (the real-life Inveraray Castle) in the Scottish Highlands.

Matthew's demise occurred right at the end of the episode after Mary had returned to Downton and given birth to their son and heir. Matthew visited the new mother and baby in the hospital and then hopped in his car to drive back to the abbey. Sadly, a combination of inattention on the part of the ecstatic new father and a truck travelling the opposite way caused Matthew's car to crash into a tree. The viewer's final glimpse of this much loved character was of his body lying by his broken car, his eyes open and staring.

Answer: Dan Stevens

Although Dan Stevens had appeared in several TV series (notably as Edward Ferrars in a 2008 BBC adaptation of Jane Austen's 'Sense and Sensibility') and films prior to taking on the role of Matthew Crawley - 'Downton Abbey' was the big break that gained him fame in both the UK and the US. He left the show at the end of the third series after deciding not to renew his contract in order to pursue other roles.

Since starring in 'Downton Abbey', Stevens has made appearances in the 2012 film 'Vamps' (alongside Alicia Silverstone and Sigourney Weaver); the 2013 film 'The Fifth Estate' about the WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange; and the 2014 comedy sequel 'Night at the Museum: Secret of the Tomb'.

The incorrect options are all actors who played footmen in the show - Rob James-Collier played Thomas Barrow, Thomas Howes played William Mason and Ed Speleers played Jimmy Kent.