Isobel is Matthew's widowed mother. Her late husband was a physician in Manchester and she was a trained nurse there. Her father, too, was a doctor and her would-be husband trained under him. She is not fazed by the the lifestyle at Downton, but insists on remaining true to herself and her life. She agrees to come and manage her son's modest house on the estate, but she has mixed feelings about the whole arrangement. Nonetheless, they have a butler and a cook, but Isobel often insists on making her own tea. These more modern, liberal values and her general middle-class status -- despite the fact that she is far better educated than Cora or Violet -- put her at odds with both, particularly Violet, who often literally looks down her nose at Isobel. Isobel is intensely proud of her son and not because he has turned out to be the heir to a great name. If anything, she thinks he is throwing away a brilliant career.An eager and enthusiastic woman, Isobel helps Dr. Clarkson at the village hospital but he soon regrets the idea to let her help as she often overrules his decisions and assumes she knows better or different ways to treat patients based on her past experiences. She also volunteers to help prostitutes and other down-on-their-luck women improve their lives.