ScarletCourt

ScarletCourt

I'd like to start this off with a discussion of the money situation. Thus far we've seen Robert lose the money in a risky business. Matthew receiving an inheritance from Lavinia's father. Martha unable to help the situation because Ira had tied it up. Should Matthew be the one to save Downton with money from the Swire fortune?

EndlessღLove

Nice, thanks Scarlet

I get Matthew's reasons and everything and I think he is very noble but he will inherit Downton one day and it doesn't belong to him so using Swire's money would mean him actually paying for Downton And not taking the money won't bring Lavinia back from death, it won't change anything imo.

L i N d $ @ y

Thanks for this thread, Scarlet.

No, I don't want Matthew to save Downton. I would like to believe there are other means to save the house. I think what Cora suggested would be good, they can sell some of the stuff in the house and move to a smaller house. Of course this won't fare well for Mary and most likely Violet too but once everyone is keen on the idea, I think there's really nothing they can do. Matthew also wants a simpler life and he has talked about moving out of Downton with Mary so she has to realize this is happening and look for other means while all this Swire inheritance is still up in the air. I'm also concerned for the staff downstairs when Downton is sold - where will they live and what will happen to them? That's also why I want Downton saved but obviously not by Matthew.

EndlessღLove

I am reading this fic and some suggestions are made to save Downton and one of them is to allow people to pay for a visit, you know, like they do now with the Highclere Castle but Idk

ScarletCourt

If Matthew has his way, he won't be using the inheritance to save Downton. Unfortunately, I don't know whether Matthew will get his way. Fact is, we don't know whether Matthew will inherit Downton. He's the heir presumptive, not the heir apparent. (Sorry Eug. ) Cora could die and Robert could marry another younger woman who could have a son and Matthew would lose out on being the Earl. Even if Cora doesn't die, Matthew could die without having sired a son and then the estate would be entailed away to another distant Crawley male (perhaps the chimney sweep Violet talked about in 2x04). I surely hope that if this does occur, that Robert and Violet won't be forcing Mary to marry this man or the next heir could already be married and have a son. It would in fact, be prudent for Matthew to buy Downton from Robert with his new inheritance and whether or not the title continues with Matthew and Mary's progeny, the house would stay with them.

There's also a number of things I don't understand about this inheritance that I've already said somewhere else on (though i don't quite recall where) That Reggie Swire would have decided to leave money to someone who also succumbed to the Spanish Flu like Lavinia. If you're planning to leave the money to someone, wouldn't you have been invited to his funeral or at least notified of his death? JF could have decided to that the fellow died of a heart attack a month before Reggie Swire did but Reggie didn't know because he himself was on death's door.

EndlessღLove

No worries

Or Mary could get pregnant and then Matthew dies so the heir will be Mary's child, RIGHT ? Omg I am so confused

ScarletCourt

Easiest way to think of it is that males sired by Robert will always precede Matthew and his progeny. Even if a woman showed up with a son by Patrick and a secret wedding certificate would beat out Matthew because Patrick has precedent over Matthew.

Matthew actually has a very tenuous grasp on the earldom. The Crawleys better hope that the first and second earl had lots of boys who continued to have boys because Matthew is a male line descendent of the youngest son of the 3rd Earl of Grantham and Robert is the seventh Earl of Grantham, so that means any brothers between Robert's great-grandfather and Matthew's great-great grandfather didn't have any male line heirs that survived until now. If Matthew and Mary fail to have a boy, they would have to go looking for the sons of the first and second Earl. This of course doesn't take into the account the Administration of Estates Act of 1925 that allowed daughters to inherit Estates.

L i N d $ @ y

If M/M fails to produce a male heir, they can always try again. I think I would like that.

If Matthew dies and they have a male son, he inherits - unless R/C get pregnant again or Robert has a son with another woman if Cora dies as mentioned by Scarlet above. So even if M/M produces a male heir but R/C gets pregnant and has a son, Matthew and his son can't inherit.

Regarding the Swire inheritance, it's all very confusing too. Since Clive can't be found, Matthew is the next one to inherit. But Clive is only missing so I'm guessing he's still the next in line for the Swire inheritance? And even if Matthew inherits, he doesn't want to use the money. So I want Clive to be alive just so this Swire inheritance is finished.

EndlessღLove

Look at Cora and Robert. They keep trying

Amen.

I know but I am wondering, what if Matthew dies but he has a son with Mary ? I don't think he could inherit because Robert hasn't died yet, right ? Once Patrick died the next heir was a realtive from Robert, not Patrick.

ScarletCourt

If Patrick had been married and had a son, the son would have become heir when Patrick died, so if Matthew dies and he has a son with Mary, the son would become the heir upon Matthew's death.

So now wrt to the money, if Matthew were to take it as Mary wishes, would he be feeling guilty for the rest of his life?

EndlessღLove

Thanks for making this clear

L i N d $ @ y

Scarlet already answered this but yes since Patrick died. I would love it if Matthew dies. I'm sour right now so forgive me.

Absolutely. Matthew likes torturing himself emotionally.

EndlessღLove

What ? Are you serious ?

L i N d $ @ y

Ummmm... Let me get back to you after S3E3 airs.