History’s Famous Women Pirates: Grace O’Malley, Anne Bonny and Mary Read

by Charles River Editors

  It has long been speculated that the three of them all became lovers together. Whether this is true or not, the fact does remain that Mary and Anne remained very close to each during the rest of their time sailing together. But while Anne was known as the captain’s woman and thus did not have to try to pass herself off as a man, Mary remained a female in hiding, living and working among the men as one of them.

  For the rest of their lives, the three would be a team, and together they recruited new crew members and began to put together a bigger crew of pirates. Had they begun their sailing in 1617 instead of 1717, they might have lived to be as famous and prosperous as Grace O’Malley or Sir Francis Drake. However, the sun was setting on the Golden Age of Piracy, and unbeknownst to them, their days of freedom were already numbered.

  Chapter 6: 1720

  For the first few months of 1720, all went well for the Revenge, which continued to cruise around the coast of the Bahamas looking for lone ships that appeared to be transporting treasure. They would then fire a cannon ball over their bows and signal for them to surrender. Most did, and they quickly came alongside, boarded the ship and took what they wanted. Because Calico Jack still had a relatively small crew, they shied away from the biggest ships and thus never made a really big score like Black Bart or Blackbeard, and they were also not as bloodthirsty as some in their trade, typically allowing the captured crew to sail away to safety as soon as they got what they wanted.

  Mary soon proved herself to be one of Calico Jack’s best fighters. There are several reasons why this young woman proved to be so fierce. For one thing, Mary had had to become a good fighter in order to keep her identity secret. Homosexual relations among ships’ crews were a natural occurrence given the lack of any available women, but Mary couldn’t afford to potentially let the rest of the crew know she wasn’t a man. Since she would definitely have been on of the most effeminate members of any crew she belonged to, she would have had to have been tough to fend off unwanted advances that might have given away her secret. Another reason for Mary’s martial strength was that she had had plenty of practice defending herself through the years. She had made a living out of being a soldier, sailor, and even a member of a cavalry unit, all of which required her to be as strong and tough as the men she was serving alongside.

  Similarly, according to the legends Anne was a fierce fighter and every bit as aggressive as Rackham himself. She was known to be a good shot and cool under pressure, and whenever there was a battle to be fought, she would be in the thick of it and would not quit until the job was done or the rest of the crew had decided to give up. Naturally, before long the tale of the two women pirates in Calico Jack’s crew had made its way around the ships and pubs along the waterfront. Some claimed that it could not be possible that two women would be able to fight as well as men. Others, however, told a different tale. Those who had faced them in battle or fought alongside them on the Revenge were happy to tell tales of their exploits together.

  In addition to taking each ship’s cargo, the pirates were also inclined to take some of the more useful crew members. This was achieved in one of two ways. First, Calico Jack, after spotting a young man who had talents that he thought his crew could use, would approach him and suggest that he throw in his lot with them. Often the man in question would agree, and that would be that. However, some were more reluctant to give up their honest work. At this point, the pirate captain might reconsider his decision and let him remain on his own ship. But if Rackham still felt that he needed the man, he would force the man to join the crew.

  Once on Calico Jack’s ship, Mary had the first opportunity in her life to be who she truly was: a woman who enjoyed living her life as a man. But just as things had gotten complicated when Anne took an interest in her, things again got complicated when Mary took an interest in one of her crewmates, who had been forced into service on the Revenge. Before long, they were sharing the same table and slept near each other at night, igniting Mary’s passions. If she made her feelings known without revealing her sex, she would obviously be misleading the other sailor, but if she did let him in on her secret and he was not interested, she would likely lose her place on the crew.

  According to Johnson, Mary eventually revealed her sex to this new object of her affection, though whether it was intentional or not was unclear:

  “In their Cruize they took a great Number of Ships belonging to Jamaica, and other Parts of the West-Indies, bound to and from England; and when ever they meet any good Artist, or other Person that might be of any great Use to their Company, if he was not willing to enter, it was their Custom to keep him by Force. Among these was a young Fellow of a most engageing Behaviour, or, at least, he was so in the Eyes of Mary Read, who became so smitten with his Person and Address, that she could neither rest, Night or Day; but as there is nothing more ingenious than Love, it was no hard Matter for her, who had before been practiced in these Wiles, to find a Way to let him discover her Sex: She first insinuated her self into his liking, by talking against the Life of a Pyrate, which he was altogether averse to, so they became Mess-Mates and strict Companions: When she found he had a Friendship for her, as a Man, she suffered the Discovery to be made, by carelesly shewing her Breasts, which were very White. The young Fellow, who was made of Flesh and Blood, had his Curiosity and Desire so rais’d by this Sight, that he never ceased importuning her, till she confessed what she was.”

  After Mary admitted she was a woman, the two soon became lovers, though they kept their relationship a secret for both of their sakes. On the one hand, Mary wanted to remain known as a man. On the other, she made it clear that Calico Jack would not take it well if he discovered she was involved with another man.

  For a while, they were able to keep their love a secret, but the the young man still did not like the life of a pirate and was not settling in well with the crew. Before long, he so angered one of his fellow crew members that the man challenged him to a duel. Young and cocky, Mary’s lover agreed and they planned to meet on the next island the ship stopped at. When they dropped anchor near one of the smaller islands in the West Indies, the men agreed to go ashore the next day and settle their quarrel.

  Mary was obviously concerned about the fate of the man. While she could not stand the idea of him sacrificing his pride by refusing the challenge, she still hated to see him risk his life. In perhaps the most famous legend of Mary Read’s life, she devised a clever way to intervene on his behalf herself. Because the crew still thought she was a man, she decided to pick her own fight with the man her lover was set to duel, going out of her way to offend him until he finally had enough and threatened her. In order to protect her lover’s safety, Mary made sure that her own duel with the man came a few hours before he was set to duel her lover.

  It has long been speculated that Captain Charles Johnson, the author of the pirate history, was a pirate himself, and the manner in which he described Mary Read’s duel with this pirate certainly suggests he found the violence romantic:

  “[H]er Passion was no less violent than his, and perhaps she express’d it, by one of the most generous Actions that ever Love inspired. It happened this young Fellow had a Quarrel with one of the Pyrates, and their Ship then lying at an Anchor, near one of the Islands, they had appointed to go ashore and fight, according to the Custom of the Pyrates: Mary Read, was to the last Degree uneasy and anxious, for the Fate of her Lover; she would not have had him refuse the Challenge, because, she could not bear the Thoughts of his being branded with Cowardise; on the other Side, she dreaded the Event, and apprehended the Fellow might be too hard for him: When Love once enters into the Breast of one who has any Sparks of Generosity, it stirs the Heart up to the most noble Actions; in this Dilemma, she shew’d, that she fear’d more for his Life than she did for her own; for she took a Resolution of quarreling with this Fellow her self, and having challenged him ashore, she appointed the Time two Hours sooner than that when he was to meet her Lover, where she fought him at Sword and Pi
stol, and killed him upon the Spot.

  It is true, she had fought before, when she had been insulted by some of those Fellows, but now it was altogether in her Lover’s Cause, she stood as it were betwixt him and Death, as if she could not live without him. If he had no regard for her before, this Action would have bound him to her for ever; but there was no Occasion for Ties or Obligations, his Inclination towards her was sufficient; in fine, they applied their Troth to each other, which Mary Read said, she look’d upon to be as good a Marriage, in Conscience, as if it had been done by a Minister in Church; and to this was owing her great Belly, which she pleaded to save her Life.”

  Indeed, Mary’s actions eventually made her lover even fonder of her, but time was running out on the pirates. Months before they were ultimately captured, Calico Jack’s crew were nearly captured, only to turn the tables in a daring plot. Captain Charles Johnson explained how the pirates captured one of their biggest prizes:

  “They repaired to their Vessel, and was making ready to put Sea, when a Guarda del Costa came in with a small English Sloop, which she had taken as an Interloper on the Coast. The Spanish Guardship attack’d the Pyrate, but Rackam being close in behind a little Island, she could do but little Execution where she lay, therefore the Spaniard warps into the Channel that Evening, in order to make sure of her the next Morning. Rackam finding his Case desperate, and hardly any Possibility of escaping, resolved to attempt the following Enterprize: The Spanish Prize lying for better Security close into the Land, between the little Island and the Main; Rackam takes his Crew into the Boat, with their Pistols and Cutlashes, rounds the little Island, and falls aboard their Prize silently in the dead of the Night, without being discovered, telling the Spaniards that were aboard of her, that if they spoke a Word, or made the least Noise, they were dead Men, and so became Master of her; when this was done, he slipt her Cable, and drove out to Sea: The Spanish Man of War, was so intent upon their expected Prize, that they minded nothing else, and as soon as Day broke, made a furious Fire upon the empty Sloop, but it was not long before they were rightly apprized of the Matter, and cursed themselves for Fools, to be bit out of a good rich Prize, as she prov’d to be, and to have nothing but an old crazy Hull in the room of her.

  Rackam and his Crew had no Occasion to be displeased at the Exchange, that enabled them to continue some Time longer in a Way of Life that suited their depraved Tempers.”

  The crew also had similar success in September 1720, taking more booty and increasing the size of their crew at the same time:

  “In the Beginning of September, they took seven or eight Fishing-Boats in Harbour Island, stole their Nets and other Tackle, and then went off the French Part of Hispaniola, and landed, and took Cattle away, with two or three French Men they found near the Water-Side, hunting of wild Hogs in the Evening: The French Men came on Board, whether by Consent or Compulsion, I can’t say. They afterwards plundered two Sloops, and returned to Jamaica, on the North Coast of which Island, near Porto Maria Bay, they took a Scooner, Thomas Spenlow Master; it was then the 19th of October. The next Day, Rackam seeing a Sloop in Dry Harbour Bay, he stood in and fired a Gun; the Men all run ashore, and he took the Sloop and Lading, but when those ashore found them to be Pyrates, they hailed the Sloop, and let them know they were all willing to come aboard of them.”

  However, a month later, the Revenge was on a normal sailing expedition of the coast of Jamaica when their luck finally ran out. They had captured a ship a few days earlier that had been well-stocked with Caribbean rum and had spent the past few days thoroughly enjoying the spoils of their conquest. Most of the men were below decks, passed out from their debauchery. Mary, Anne and Calico Jack were on deck, perhaps talking or making plans for their next attack. Captain Charles Johnson explained:

  “Rackam’s coasting the Island in this Manner, proved fatal to him, for Intelligence came to the Governor, of his Expedition, by a Canoa which he had surprized ashore, in Ocho Bay; upon which a Sloop was immediately fitted out, and sent round the Island in quest of him, commanded by Captain Barnet, with a good Number of Hands. Rackam rounding the Island, and drawing near the Westermost Point, called Point Negril, saw a small Pettiauger, which at sight of the Sloop, run ashore and landed her Men; when one of them hailed her, Answer was made, They were English Men, and desired the Pettiauger’s Men to come on Board, and drink a Bowl of Punch, which they were prevailed upon to do; accordingly the Company came all aboard of the Pyrate, consisting of nine Persons, in an ill Hour; they were armed with Muskets and Cutlashes, but, what was their real Design by so doing, I shall not take upon me to say; but they had no sooner laid down their Arms, and taken up their Pipes, but Barnet’s Sloop, which was in Pursuit of Rackam’s, came in Sight.”

  As always, the three were on alert for the sight of any other ships in the area, so when they saw a sloop approaching off their bow, they immediately sat up and took notice. As it got closer, Rackham pulled out his spy glass and took a look. That’s when he saw the flag of the Governor of Jamaica flying stiffly in the breeze. The three immediately sprang into action, changing the sails and trying to make a speedy getaway. At first it seemed that they might avoid the other ship and perhaps slip by unnoticed, but before long they realized that they were spotted and the ship was giving chase.

  Rackham called for all hands on deck, but nothing happened. He then sent Mary down to the hull to rouse the men, but she had little luck as they were all still pretty drunk. Returning to Anne and Calico Jack, she reported that it looked like the men were in no condition to fight. Their only option appeared to be to outrun the other ship. For the next few hours, the three tried with all their might to escape, steering and adjusting the rigging to make the maximum use of whatever wind there was. However, they soon realized that it was futile and prepared to fight.

  Anne went below decks and tried herself to rouse the sleeping pirates. Again they ignored her or gave only lip service to coming upstairs. Things changed, however, when the first cannon ball flew over the bow of the ship and splashed in the water nearby. Rackham returned fire and the battle began in earnest. Some of the crew began to stumble up the stairs of the ship, squinting in the bright sunlight and asking what was going on.

  Rackham gave them a quick rundown of the situation. No doubt reminding them that, if they were captured, many if not all of them would hang. This stirred up some interest among the crew, but they were still not in any physical condition to put up a serious fight. That left Rackham, Mary and Anne to fight off the ship alone. At first it seemed they might win. However, the final blow came when the sloop put a cannon ball through the hull of the Revenge, causing her to begin to take on water.

  The roar of sea water rushing in and the spray of salt water on their faces soon roused the rest of the crew. By then, however, it was too late for them to fight. Instead, they focused their attention on trying to stop the ship from sinking. Some men tried to wrestle a patch into place to cover up the hole while others manned the pumps, desperately trying to return the water to the sea where it belonged.

  Meanwhile, the captain and women were left on the upper decks, fighting the men boarding the ship alone. Many would later testify that the women were the fiercest fighters in this battle, and that they did more damage then any of the men of the crew. However, it soon became clear that they were outnumbered, outgunned and beaten. Rackham was forced to surrender his ship and his crew to Captain Jonathan Barnet, a privateer commissioned by the Governor of Jamaica to hunt down and capture pirates.

  While that description of the fighting makes for a romantic and interesting story, it is doubtful that it actually went down that way. For one thing, it is unlikely that anyone would hide below decks of a ship taking on water. Indeed, the men may very well have been below trying to repair the hole or man the pumps. The women, with less physical strength, would have remained on the deck to carry on the fight. Once the ship was boarded, they would certainly have kept on fighting, even hand to hand if necessary.


  No matter how the battle may have been fought, it certainly ended with the Revenge and her entire crew being captured by Barnet, who shipped them off to confinement at Spanish Town, Jamaica. At some point in time, either on their way to Spanish Town, or shortly after their arrival, it became known the Mary was actually a woman. Whether she was exposed by someone else or confessed it herself is unclear, but records indicate she and Anne were segregated from the men as soon as they arrived at Spanish Town.

  Rackham and the male crew members were the first to stand trial and were quickly convicted. According to Captain Charles Johnson, Calico Jack and his crew attempted a fairly clever (but ultimately futile) defense:

  ‘That they had no Witnesses: That they had bought a Pettiauger in order to go a Turtleing; and being at Negril Point, and just got ashore, they saw a Sloop with a white Pendant coming towards them, upon which they took their Arms, and hid themselves in the Bushes: That one of them hail’d the Sloop, who answer’d, They were English Men, and desired them to come aboard and drink a Bowl of Punch; which they at first refused, but afterwards with much perswasion, they went on Board, in the Sloop’s Canoe, and left their own Pettiauger at Anchor: That they had been but a short Time on Board, when Captain Barnet’s Sloop heaved in Sight: That Rackam ordered them to help to weigh the Sloop’s Anchor immediately, which they all refused: That Rackam used violent Means to oblige them; and that when Captain Barnet came up with them, they all readily and willingly submitted.

  The defense failed, not surprisingly, and “they were all Guilty of the Pyracy and Felony they were charged with, which was, the going over with a pyratical and felonious Intent to John Rackam, &c. then notorious Pyrates, and by them known to be so, they all received Sentence of Death…” When asked if he had a last request, Rackham asked only to see Anne one more time. Unfortunately for him, he found his lover to be little comfort in the final hours of his life. According to tradition, she is said to have told him that she was sorry to see him in such a predicament, but that “if he had fought like a Man, he need not have been hanged like a dog.” With those words ringing in his ears, he was carried off to the gallows and hanged in November 1720. To send a message, the authorities had Calico Jack’s body gibbeted on a small islet near the entrance to Port Royal.