Dr Syn Books

Doctor Syn (1915, republished 1998):

“At the start of the story there were two things of paramount interest in Dymchurch. The first being the flaming Demon Riders and Jack O’Lanterns, residents believed Romney Marsh was the meeting place for these characters. The second was Doctor Syn, their genial, kindly, well-loved Vicar.

At times, the Vicar would break out into most ungodly songs; a pirates song. A song said to have been the favourite of Captain Clegg. Clegg who was supposed to have been hanged for piracy fully ten years earlier.

The marsh was indeed a mysterious place and Doctor Syn held the key to the mystery.

Doctor Syn on the High Seas:

Is the first of the Doctor Syn sagas and recounts the early life of this brilliant young Oxford scholar, who throws away the Bible for the sword in his mad quest for vengeance.

By killing a notorious bully in a duel, Syn wins the hand of the Beauty of Oxford and accepts the living of Dymchurch-under-the-Wall. But his wife runs away with a friend of his, and Syn, abandoning his pulpit, follows them to the Americas. His enemy has hidden himself among pirates sailing under the Jolly Roger. Syn himself follows suit, calls himself Captain Clegg, and becomes the Terror of the Seas.

Doctor Syn Returns:

Terror of the American Coasts, Pirates of the High Seas, This is the reputation which Doctor Syn conceals when, shipwreaked on the Sussex coast, he becomes the worthy Vicar of Dymchurch. Mipps also wants to forget a pirates past and settles in the village as Sexton and Undertaker.

Less careful than his master, Mipps becomes involved with local smuggling and is caught red-handed by a regiment of the Dragoons. It is then that Doctor Syn decides to take a hand; and though by day he continues to occupy the pulpit and win the love of the Squires beautiful daughter, by night he rides the Romney marshes captaining his Demon Riders.

The Further Adventures of Doctor Syn:

“is concerned with Doctor Syn’s adventures as leader of his Night Riders. “Death to the Scarecrow” is once more the slogan of the authorities hunting him down on Romney Marsh. Syn’s audacity in maintaining his double identity reaches new heights when he accepts a challenge to drink with the Admiral on his flagship. Syn, however, remains loyal to his King and assists in the destruction of a French privateer in the Channel. But his first loyalties are to his flock as both Parish Priest and Scarecrow, leader of the weird Night Riders.”

The Courageous Exploits of Doctor Syn:

Doctor Syn, leader of the Night Rider, is confronted by the most dangerous enemy of his career, Captain Blain of the Royal Navy. The by now exasperated Admiralty decides upon strong action against Syn and his smuggler band. But even this is not enough. The Scarecrow and his exploits make him into a national hero. Syn, as the Scarecrow, grows bolder, and he makes it known that he will hunt with the Prince of Wales.

The Amazing Quest of Doctor Syn:

“A Welshman comes to Dymchurch to identify Doctor Syn and to inform him that the pair of them, as the last survivors of a Tontine, are the joint inheritors of a vast sum of money. He has been sent on this mission by his landlord, Tarroc Dolgenny, who is an unscrupulous villain and has planned to murder Doctor Syn, get the Tontine fortune paid to the Welshman, and then by marrying the heiress, who was a pretty niece of the Welshman, he could be sure of the money, and could in turn get rid of his wife’s uncle. Doctor Syn journeys to Wales to pit his wits against his would-be murderer.

The Shadow of Doctor Syn:

“Once again Doctor Syn, Vicar of Dymchurch, scholar, wit, friend of the Prince Regent (the only parson who could make him laugh) and notorious smuggler, rides as the mysterious Scarecrow at the head of his Night Riders on Romney Marsh. Despite the Reign of Terror raging across the Channel, and the fact that England is at war with France, his luggers brave the blockade with their valuable cargoes of rum, brandy, sundry spirits and silks, to exchange for shorn wool and English gold.” The story begins in 1793.