Is 'Downton Abbey' Based on a Real Family? Crawley Family True Story

In the luxe world of Downton Abbey, viewers join the Crawley family, wealthy aristocrats in 20th century England who occupy a grandiose castle, filled with beautiful dresses, supportive staff, and a generous helping of drama. With the cast of characters soon gracing the big screen with the release of the Downton Abbey movie, let's review which delicious details about the beloved series are based in reality—and which are just plain fun.

The show is as historically accurate as possible.

While the Crawley family featured in the show is, in fact, fictional, Julian Fellowes, the creator of Downton, has told ABC News that it was “very important” to him that the series be as historically accurate as possible. And though the Crawley’s story is also fictional, there are some elements of the show that are based on real life.

You can visit the Crawleys' castle IRL.

Rizzoli At Home at Highclere: Entertaining at the Real Downton Abbey

$70 at Amazon

For one, the castle where the Crawleys live is a real-life place: the Highclere Castle, where they have filmed parts of the show and the movie. Highclere has belonged to the Carnarvon family for 300 years, according to ABC, and is currently home to the Earl and Countess of Carnarvon. In the past, the castle has also hosted kings and queens, similar to the plot of the new Downton movie.

According to Town & Country, one can visit the castle during the summer months; some visitors are interested in the story of how the fifth Earl of Carnarvon funded the expedition that led to the discovery of King Tut's tomb.

If you want to learn even more about the Highclere Castle, Lady Carnarvon often blogs about her time in the estate, including the various connections to Downton Abbey. (Lady Carnarvon lived there throughout the filming; some scenes are filmed on location while others, especially the kitchen moments, are filmed in the studio.) She's even written about the castle's own Mrs. Patmore aka her chef, Paul. Lady Carnarvon has also published multiple books about the history and modern-day events of Highclere.

Lady Grantham's story is based on a woman named Lady Almina.

A plot point in the show that is based on real events is the story of the Earl’s wife, Cora or Lady Grantham. In the show, it’s revealed that Lady Grantham is a U.S. heiress who brought a significant dowry with her to Downton. This is based off the story of Lady Almina, the great grandmother of Highclere Castle’s Earl of Carnarvon. Almina was the daughter of a banker and came with a large dowry, according to ABC News, and married into the family. With the money from the dowry, Almina was able to update the castle for the modern age.

Carson, the beloved butler who runs the Crawley’s house, also has a real-life inspiration: Colin Edwards, a butler at Highclere who has served the family for generations.

There's another real-life castle featured on the show.

In season 3, Lord Grantham and the Countess of Grantham go to Duneagle Castle in Scotland to visit their cousin. The castle they show is actually the Inveraray Castle, located in Scotland and the home to the Duke and Duchess of Argyll.