Captain Clegg

Harry is the squire’s son and Imogene’s fiancé, a brave yet impulsive figure whose love drives much of the plot. He is wounded during the pursuit and held as a hostage by Collier’s men, then escapes when the Marsh Phantoms distract the sailors. His courage and devotion keep hope alive as secrets threaten to tear the town apart. He embodies youthful impulse and romantic loyalty amid a web of danger.

Imogene is Captain Clegg’s daughter and Rash’s ward, secretly engaged to Harry. She becomes a focal point between the smugglers and the village, enduring coercion and manipulation while seeking a future with Harry. Her lineage to Captain Clegg explains the town’s vested interest in protecting her, and she shows resilience under pressure. She embodies love, loyalty, and hidden lineage that ties past and present together.

Captain Collier leads the Royal Navy inquiry into the village’s alcohol-smuggling network. He is relentless, perceptive, and suspicious of Blyss, pressing locals for answers. He pursues the smugglers to the church and forces the truth to surface, challenging the sanctimonious cover Blyss maintains. His pursuit heightens the clash between law and crime.

Blyss is the village parson and the ringleader behind the smugglers, using religious authority to shield illicit activity. He manipulates Harry, Imogene, and Rash, and he skirmishes with Collier as the net tightens. The revelation of his past and true allegiance exposes a moral rot masked as virtue. He embodies corruption behind a clerical facade.

The Mulatto is a mute ex-slave whose tongue was cut out, kept as a slave by the network. He becomes an instrument of violence, uncovering the hidden cellar and later killing Rash while fatally impaling Clegg. His actions stem from trauma and a desire for autonomy, ending when he is killed by Mipps. His presence intensifies the town’s brutal underbelly.

Coffin-maker and smuggler ally, Mipps runs a facade that doubles as a hideout for the smugglers. He helps orchestrate the operation’s escape and ultimately shoots the Mulatto, placing Clegg’s body in the grave. His sense of practicality and loyalty to the network keeps the operation alive until the end. He embodies the messy intersection of craft, commerce, and crime.

Rash is a key smuggling partner who runs the local ale house and participates actively in the operation. He obstructs discovery by killing a sailor and attempting to coerce Imogene, showing the predatory side of the network. His actions escalate the town’s peril and he meets his end in the ensuing conflict.

Squire Cobtree is the village patriarch and Harry’s father, representing the landowning class and local authority. He becomes entwined in the drama as the town’s secrets threaten the social order. His presence embodies the conflict between tradition and upheaval in Dymchurch.

Old Tom Ketch is an elder of the village, a keeper of local memory and a witness to the marsh’s legends. He embodies the community’s enduring skepticism toward outsiders and its readiness to believe in the town’s myths. His presence anchors the film’s sense of place and tradition.