Doctor Syn · Characters
Character guide
Key figures in Doctor Syn by Russell Thorndike.
Skim names here — open a free preview to see character cards and Character Web beside the page as you read.
Doctor Syn
major
Also known as The Doctor, Syn, Doctor, Parson Syn, Doctor Syn—he
The beloved vicar of Dymchurch, whose gentle wit and learning hide a past that Mipps calls a 'blinkin' marvel.'
Mipps
major
Also known as Mr. Mipps, Mister Mipps, Sexton Mipps, The Sexton, Mr. Sexton, Mister Sexton, Master Sexton
The coffin-making sexton of Dymchurch, whose dry winks and locked chests suggest he knows far more than he lets on.
Captain Collyer
major
Also known as Captain Howard Collyer, Howard Collyer, Collyer, The Captain, Collywobbles
A naval captain nicknamed Collywobbles, sent to Romney Marsh on grim business that pits duty against the town's charm.
Jerry Jerk
supporting
Also known as young Jerk, Jerk, young Jerry, Jerry, Hangman Jerk, Master Jerry
Dymchurch's potboy and self-declared future hangman, whose bullet head and pluck make him the schoolmaster's private nightmare.
Imogene
supporting
Also known as this Imogene, the Imogene, Supporting Imogene, the dazzling Imogene
The dark-eyed, sea-loving barmaid of the Ship Inn, daughter of a hanged pirate, who laughs at Denis's Latin and his shyness alike.
Denis Cobtree
supporting
Also known as Denis, Mr. Denis, young Denis, Mr. Denis Cobtree, Mister Cobtree, Mister Denis, Cobtree
The squire's book-hating son, who scandalizes his father by vowing to marry a pirate's daughter and means every word.
Clegg
supporting
Also known as VII Clegg, Clegg hisself, old Clegg, a Captain Clegg, scoundrelly Clegg, the real Clegg
The hanged buccaneer whose name still terrifies Romney Marsh, remembered for torturing a mulatto sailor and marooning him on a coral reef.
Sennacherib Pepper
supporting
Also known as Sennacherib, Pepper, old Sennacherib Pepper, Doctor Pepper, old Sennacherib, old Pepper, Poor old Sennacherib, Doctor Sennacherib Pepper, the inoffensive Pepper
The Marsh's hard-drinking physician, whose dark tales of witches and fiery steeds make him both the squire's favorite joke and the village's uneasy oracle.
Mr. Rash
supporting
Also known as Whereat Mr. Rash, Rash, the sandy-haired Mr. Rash, Presently Rash, But Rash, Mister Rash
A Rye lawyer drawn into the courthouse inquiry, navigating the tangled loyalties and secrets that the Marsh's respectable folk would rather keep buried.
Morgan Walters
supporting
Also known as Presently Morgan Walters, Walters
A local landowner and magistrate recruited to impersonate Doctor Syn in a harpoon-trap experiment, bobbing his head like a fairground Aunt Sally.
Job Mallet
supporting
Also known as good Job Mallet
A farmer among the Scarecrow's men, whose knowledge of the Marsh's hidden paths and hiding places makes him useful to more than one master.
Mrs. Waggetts
supporting
Also known as Waggetts, So Mrs. Waggetts, Missus Waggetts
The landlady of the Ship Inn, keeper of Dymchurch's busiest taproom and silent witness to the comings and goings of smugglers and king's men alike.
Antony Whyllie
supporting
Also known as Antony
The blustering squire of Dymchurch, whose fury at his son's barmaid sweetheart collides with his desperate fear of losing the vicar he trusts.
Mrs. Whyllie
minor
Also known as old Mrs. Whyllie, Whyllie, old Whyllie, So Mrs. Whyllie
Antony Whyllie's mother, a widow in Dymchurch.
The Scarecrow
supporting
Also known as Scarecrow, the mysterious Scarecrow, The Scarecrow
A masked figure who moves through the crypt and churchyard by night, laughing with Mipps and commanding the marsh's hidden trade.
Mr. Whyllie
minor
Also known as Mister Whyllie, my foolish Mister Whyllie, Old Mr. Whyllie
Antony Whyllie's father, a foolish old man.
Sir Antony Cobtree
minor
Also known as Sir Antony, Antony Cobtree, Cobtree
A baronet and father of Denis Cobtree.
Bill Spiker
minor
Also known as Spiker, Poor Bill Spiker, Bill
A smuggler and member of the Scarecrow's gang.
Hellspite
minor
A horse owned by Doctor Syn.
Captain Tuffton
minor
Also known as coxcomb Captain Tuffton, Charybdis Captain Tuffton
A foppish naval officer and rival to Captain Collyer.
Mr. Squire
minor
Also known as Squire
A local squire and magistrate.
Ling Fu Quong
minor
Also known as Ling
A Chinese man encountered in Watchbell Street.
Beelzebub
minor
Also known as sally Beelzebub
A name for the devil, used in oaths and references.
Jack Ketch
minor
Also known as Jack Ketch—to old Jack Ketch, Jack
A historical hangman, referenced as a figure of execution.
King George
minor
Also known as King, the King
The reigning monarch, referenced but not appearing.
Pete
minor
A minor character, possibly a sailor or smuggler.
Will Rudrum
minor
Also known as poor Rudrum, poor Will Rudrum
A smuggler who meets a tragic end.
Mrs. Tapsole
minor
Also known as old Mrs. Tapsole
An elderly woman in Dymchurch.
Queen Anne
minor
The former queen, referenced in historical context.
Satan
minor
The devil, referenced in religious and metaphorical contexts.