Maria Merryweather – A smart, 13-year-old orphan with red hair and freckles. She rescues a hare in the forest, names it Serena, and keeps it as her pet. Wears large dresses. Her love interest is Robin.
Miss Jane Heliotrope – Maria's governess. She is old-fashioned and very tall, with forget-me-not-blue eyes. Her love interest is the Old Parson. The love interest in the movie is Digweed.
Sir Benjamin Merryweather – Maria's uncle and guardian. His love interest is Loveday.
Marmaduke Scarlet – Sir Benjamin's cook and housekeeper. Also the owner of Zachariah the cat. He does not like feminine curiosity and sees his kitchen as a private domain. He is a wonderful chef. Nice to Maria.
Digweed – Sir Benjamin's coachman and gardener. His love interest in the movie is Miss Heliotrope.
Loveday Minette – Sir Benjamin's ex-fiancée. She is known in the book to have a passion for pink geraniums. When their argument broke out about the geraniums, she left Moonacre and got married in town to a lawyer. In the movie, she is Robin's older sister and Benjamin's ex-fiancée but they end up together.
