The would-be heir to Downton Abbey, Matthew is Lord Grantham's the third cousin once removed and worked as a lawyer in Manchester before moving to Downton. His mother Isobel is a trained nurse who moved to Downton with him. His late father Reginald was a physician. Matthew wasn't crazy about the idea of moving to Downton, despite the inheritance, but did so on the agreement that he could continue to do his work.The family would like to see Matthew wed Mary as a way for her to keep a hand in the estate and for the family to continue living there, but neither of them seem interested in marrying someone they do not love. Matthew's professional class status and his desire to work are important to him and cause some strife in the family. Mary initially refuses to accept that he could the heir, saying he was not one of us, and Violet shows blatant disdain for the man she calls a middle-class lawyer and his mother. As part of his role as the eventual heir, Matthew attempts to move Downton toward a more sustainable business, aiming to modernize and urging Lord Grantham to run the operation with less emotion and more fiscal sense.