Russell Thorndike

Russell Thorndike was an English actor, playwright, and novelist best known for his series of novels featuring the smuggler Dr Syn. The Mermaid Inn, a historic hotel in Rye, features a room called “Dr Syn’s Bedchamber” named after the famous character created by Thorndike. It is said that Thorndike wrote the first Dr Syn novel, “Doctor Syn: A Tale of the Romney Marsh,” about the actual “Hawkhurst” smuggling gang. The book and its sequels have been adapted for film and television.