It was a leap of faith four years ago, when Marieke and Christophe Celis left Toulouse, France, near the Pyrenees Mountains, and moved with their three daughters to a new environment in a new country.

The intricacies of table settings have gone the way of butlers and parasol flirtations, calling cards and dressing for dinner. But that may be changing. After all, Downton Abbey was wildly popular for ...