Downton Abbey is an award-winning TV series — and now film series — revolving around the aristocratic Crawley family and their struggle to keep ahold of their titular estate Downton Abbey. The series takes place during the beginning of the 20th century and is punctuated by real-life catastrophes, from the sinking of the Titanic to the First World War. Downton Abbey is beloved by many as it not only follows the life and struggles of the Crawleys, but also follows the lives of the staff members who work at Downton, showing both sides of the coin. The widely popular series came to an end in 2015, but its popularity resulted in the making of two feature films: Downton Abbey, released in 2019, and Downton Abbey: A New Era, which is set to be released in April 2022.
The Crawley family consists of seven blood members; Robert and Cora have three daughters, Mary, Edith and Sybil. The extended members of the family include the Dowager Countess Violet, Robert’s mother and grandmother to the girls, and Matthew Crawley, a distant cousin who is brought into the series as the new heir to the Downton estate. As much as we hate to admit it, fans of the show know that not every character is an angel, some in fact are quite the opposite. Here’s every Crawley family member in Downton Abbey ranked by kindness.
7 Lady Edith Crawley
The middle daughter of Lord and Lady Crawley, Edith Crawley (Laura Carmichael), is a soul that often gets forgotten. This unfortunately is what makes Edith such an unsavory character as being neglected and passed over for Mary and Sybil has led to a great deal of bitterness from Edith. From the very start of the series, we see Edith causing trouble for everyone around her. She even goes so far as to expose Mary’s scandalous behavior with the late Mr. Pamuk. Edith is far from kind and this backfires on her time and again as her would-be husband Michael Gregson was murdered by Nazis when Edith discovered she was pregnant with his child. While Edith is humbled in the end, she is by far the most conniving member of the Crawley family.
6 Lady Mary Crawley
Mary (Michelle Dockery) is the eldest daughter of the Crawley Family who gets past over as owner of the estate simply because she is a woman. Because she is the eldest, a great deal of pressure is placed on Mary to fulfill her duty and marry well so that the estate will remain in Crawley hands. While Mary may not be as vindictive as Edith, she is just as petty, taking it upon herself to get revenge on those who have wronged her, including telling Edith’s fiancé, the Marquess of Hexham, that Marigold is not just Edith’s ward, but is in fact Edith’s illegitimate child, fathered by her late lover Michael Gregson.
5 Lord Robert Crawley
Robert Crawley (Hugh Bonneville) is no saint and often flies off the handle when faced with change. As much as Robert hopes to do what is best for his family, he is often selfish, putting his own personal needs and wants before anyone else's. While his wife was deathly ill with the new sickness, Spanish Influenza, Robert was getting busy with the new servant Jane, sharing a steamy kiss with her and wishing to do more. While nothing more happens, this is a terrible move on Robert’s part and just proves his selfishness, throwing his care for his wife out the window. This, on top of his overt sexism and wanting his girls to have nothing more than a husband to care for them, makes him one of the least kind members of the Crawley family.
4 The Dowager Countess Violet Crawley
While The Dowager Countess (Maggie Smith) is known for her snarky remarks and well-timed zingers, Violet is not inherently evil. The Dowager is often seen using her name and title for the benefit of others, like when she wrote letters to the head Doctor at the Hospital in Downton, trying to keep William and Molesley out of the draft so that they will be able to stay and support what is left of their families. Or later when she has every opportunity to reunite with her old Russian flame, but knows that it is best for everyone if it is left to dwindle out. Beneath her smart-mouthed exterior is a kind interior and while Violet may struggle with change, she still manages to move with the times better than her son does.
3 Matthew Crawley
Part of what made Matthew and Mary such a functional couple was that his kindness and understanding made up for Mary’s cold heart. Matthew Crawley (Dan Stevens) is a middle-class lawyer introduced to the family when the original heir to Downton died on the Titanic. While Matthew is not welcomed initially, the family eventually warms up to him, and it's not hard to see why. From his kindness in helping Mr Bates with his legal troubles to his unwavering love for Mary, despite his engagement to another, Matthew is one of the most kind members of the Crawley family with no spite in his heart.
2 Lady Cora Crawley
Cora (Elizabeth McGovern) is the wife of Robert and mother to the three girls. She often helps people with their struggles without asking for anything in return, like when she helped Mary and Anna move Mr. Pamuk’s dead body from Mary’s room, and when she helped keep Edith’s pregnancy a secret. Cora is sweet and a little naive, which unfortunately leads to her being easily manipulated by her lady's maid O'Brien, which causes a great deal of trouble at the Abbey. That said, it would seem that Cora is always playing devil’s advocate, searching for the good in everything to balance the conservative way that Robert looks at things.
1 Lady Sybil Crawley
The kindest member of the Crawley family was Sybil (Jessica Brown Findlay). She was the glue who held everyone together and managed to bridge the gap between the staff and the Crawleys through her marriage to the family’s former chauffeur Tom Branson. Sybil’s list of kind acts is never-ending, from helping Gwen get a job as a secretary to becoming a nurse to help the war effort, Sybil is a superwoman. Sybil’s kindness knows no bounds and when her death came during the birth of her daughter, it wrought devastation among the audience. Taking away the one constant ray of light in the Crawley household.