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

by Charles River Editors

  Johnson claimed the other men were also hanged: “On the 17th of February, John Eaton, Thomas Quick and Thomas Baker, were executed at Gallows Point, at Port Royal, and the next Day John Cole, John Howard and Benjamin Palmer, were executed at Kingston; whether the other three were executed afterwards, or not, I never heard.”

  Anne and Mary were tried last of all. When called to the stand, Mary swore that she had never wanted to be a pirate, that she had only come aboard Calico Jack’s ship because he kidnapped her, and that she never fought against anyone. In addition to piracy, she was charged with sexual misconduct, a charge that suggests it was obvious she was pregnant. While she could not deny her condition, she did deny that she was a fornicator or adulteress. Instead, she maintained that she was actually married to the crewman who had fathered her child. However, when she was asked to give his name, she refused, saying only that the two of them hated the pirating life and had planned to leave the ship at the earliest possibility. She went on to try to convince the Justice of the Court that they already had plans for earning an honest living on land.

  Meanwhile, Anne’s father had heard of her capture and began to work to get her freed. He was still a prominent planter and had several friends in Jamaica on whom he called for help. He may have even found someone to speak on his daughter’s behalf to the governor. However, it proved to be of little avail against the testimony of how Anne had conducted herself while on board, and especially during the final battle with Barnet’s men

  Unfortunately for Anne and Mary, the testimony of some of their crewmates sunk them, especially Mary’s assertion that she did not want to continue in piracy. Several men, all of whom claimed to have been kidnapped themselves, swore that during battle no one fought as hard as Mary Read or Anne Bonny. At least one of them mentioned an occasion when the women not only refused to join the men in hiding below decks but also taunted the men for refusing to join them. It was also suggested that Mary even went below decks and threatened the men there with a loaded gun, and that when the men failed to move fast enough for her, she fired on them, killing one man and wounding several others.

  According to one witness, when Barnet and his men attempted to board the ship, “the two women, prisoners at the bar, were then on board the said sloop, and wore men's jackets, and long trousers, and handkerchiefs tied about their heads; and that each of them had a machete and pistol in their hands, and cursed and swore at the men, to murder the deponent; and that they should kill her, to prevent her coming against them; and the deponent further said, that the reason of her knowing and believing them to be women then was by the largeness of their breasts.”

  Another witness said "that when they saw any vessel, gave chase, or attacked, they wore men's clothes; and at other times, they wore woman's clothes." This, of course, calls into question whether or not Mary actually concealed her identity as well as she is believed to have, but by now it was a moot point.

  According to one historian, the most damning evidence against Mary actually came from a man she had once sailed with. One of the men who claimed to have been kidnapped by Rackham and forced into piracy said that he had often had conversations with Mary about how she came to be involved in piracy. He claimed that he was curious as to why anyone would pursue a life that was so filled with dangers and discomfort. He also testified that he sought her feelings about the possibility of dying in disgrace, either at the hands of the crown, or one of her enemies. According to this man’s testimony, Mary replied to his question by answering:

  “as to hanging, she thought it no great Hardship, for, were it not for that, every cowardly Fellow would turn Pyrate, and so infest the Seas, that Men of Courage must starve:— That if it was put to the Choice of the Pyrates, they would not have the punishment less than Death, the Fear of which, kept some dastardly Rogues honest; that many of those who are now cheating the Widows and Orphans, and oppressing their poor Neighbours, who have no Money to obtain Justice, would then rob at Sea, and the Ocean would be crowded with Rogues, like the Land, and no Merchant would venture out; so that the Trade, in a little Time, would not be worth following.”

  The court thus handed down the most dreaded sentence possible to both women, declaring:

  “You, Mary Read, and Ann Bonny, alias Bonn, are to go from hence to the place from whence you came, and from thence to the place of execution; where you shall be severally hanged by the neck till you are severally dead. And god of his infinite mercy be merciful to both your souls.”

  At this point, the judge asked the women if they had anything to say for themselves. Both came forward and asked that their sentences be delayed because they were pregnant, since English law at that time forbade the execution of pregnant women to avoid killing their unborn child as well. Whether it was obvious they were pregnant or it was something that the court had to wait to confirm is unknown, but the judge decided to grant both women a stay of execution until they delivered their babies.

  Mary did not live long enough to face either the gallows or childbirth, instead dying of some sort fever in early 1721. By this time she was so far along in her pregnancy that she either delivered the child right before her death or the doctors tried to save the child by delivering it through a quick caesarean section. Either way, they both died but were buried separately in St. Catherine parish in Jamaica. Ironically, the convicted criminal and the innocent child were among the first few people to be buried in that cemetery.

  Pleading the belly ultimately proved to be useless to Mary Read, but it is widely believed the delay was enough to save Anne’s life. While she remained in prison awaiting her child’s birth, her father continued to speak to his friends on her behalf, and eventually he was able to arrange enough bribes to enough people to secure her release. Shortly after the birth of her baby, she disappeared from the history books, probably much to the relief of authorities who had no stomach for executing a woman with an infant child.

  It remains unclear as to what exactly happened to Anne after her time in prison. Some believe that she returned to James Bonny and lived out the rest of her days as his wife, but that seems unlikely. For one thing, the two of them had been legally divorced, so it is likely that he had by this time married someone else. Also, Anne’s father likely felt that he had put too much effort into her release to have her return to someone he had never cared much for anyway.

  Others say that she returned to being a pirate, changing her name and joining another crew, but this seems even less likely. Unlike Mary Read, Anne Bonny never showed any particular love for life at sea. Her affection centered on Calico Jack, and it seems she did what she did just so she could be with him, simply following his path.

  The final possibility is that which had the only documentary evidence to support it. According to records preserved by those claiming to be her descendants, Anne and her child returned with her father to Charleston, South Carolina, sailing quietly away on one of his merchant ships. If she was traveling illegally, he was able to grease enough palms to make sure that no one noticed or reported her. Because communication was more difficult at that time, he was able to use his influence and money to restore her reputation. She was still only 18 years old, and if rumors about her pirate career did reach anyone’s ears they would likely disregard the stories as being wholly unlikely for a girl so young.

  Not long after they returned to Charleston, Anne met a local man named Joseph Burleigh, who was somewhat older than her and was well known to her father. As they got to know each other, she may have told him about her checkered past or she may have simply portrayed herself as the young, pretty widow of a dead sea captain with whom she had a child. If Burleigh did have any misgivings about their future together, it is likely that Anne’s father’s fortune soon put those concerns to rest. The two married on December 21, 1721, when Anne was 19 years old.

  Having sown her wild oats, Anne apparently settled down into the kind of domestic life she had previously been to restless to accept. According to the records, she a
nd Burleigh lived the rest of their lives as happy, respected members of the Charleston community. She bore and raised 10 more children, living to see most of them grow to adulthood and marry. By the time she died, on April 22, 1782, she had grandchildren and great-grandchildren. She was buried in the Burleigh family plot in the York County Churchyard in York Count, Virginia.

  Chapter 7: Anne and Mary’s Legacies

  As pirates go, Anne Bonny and Mary Read were not the meanest or kindest, nor were they the strongest or weakest. They did not sail with a particularly important pirate either; Calico Jack was not a successful pirate, and he is remembered more for his association with Anne Bonny and Mary Read than anything else. The same could be said for both Anne Bonny and Mary Read as well. Their piracy was in no way remarkable aside from the fact that they were women.

  However, the fact that they were women has become a legacy unto itself. Anne Bonny has passed down through history as a strong-willed independent girl who was fearless and wild enough to become just the kind of pirate people think of today when they hear the term. At the same time, her legend and reputation have a strong historical foundation Even by today’s standards, to have been born the illegitimate daughter of a lawyer and his mistress is enough to turn heads. While modern political scandals have softened the public’s sensibilities to such misdeeds as adultery, to bring a child into the picture is certain to call one’s character into question. Likewise, to abandon one family and move half-way around the world to start another is more the thing of romance novels than it is of real life. And yet, that was precisely what Anne’s formative years consisted of, along with being dressed like a boy and told to act like one.

  Then there was the matter of her own personality. To harm or even threaten another person with a kitchen knife would land today’s teenager in therapy at least, but Anne was simply ignored as the spoiled daughter of a wealthy plantation owner. Anne certainly wasn’t encouraged to continue her rebellious ways, but she clearly didn’t suffer any serious consequences for her actions either. Even Anne’s decision to elope and run away is hardly an unusual story; plenty of young women have run away with men who were disliked by their families. And Anne’s affinity for men who were rebellious like her also probably drew her to Calico Jack.

  The story of a rebellious headstrong teenage girl who runs away with a bad boy is one that has played out in other settings and environments across history, but what makes Anne unique is that she happened to become a well-known pirate. While she was never a particularly effective one, and may not even have been interested in being one but for her feelings toward Calico Jack, the fact that Anne Bonny became known by name during the Golden Age of Piracy and the mystery surrounding her fate have helped maintain her legend. Throw in her association with another famous woman pirate like Mary Read, and the story becomes even better. To the degree that any pirate can be respected or celebrated, the stories and legends surrounding Anne Bonny have made her a unique and unlikely symbol for any independent woman striving to live outside of conventional society’s norms and/or simply be as good as the boys at their own game.

  The life, death, and legacy of Mary Read also captured the imaginations of everyone from historians to novelists, and feminists to masochists. There are a number of reasons why her story has been so fascinating in the past, and is likely to continue to be for years to come, beginning with the mystery of her childhood. It is well known that she was raised by her mother as if she had been a male child, and because she was illegitimate, many have speculated that her father may have himself been a sailor and maybe even a pirate. Was Mary born with a thirst for the sea and adventure, or was it simply a necessary evil for Mary’s mother to support the family after her husband died?

  Perhaps the most remarkable aspect of Mary’s life was her sexual identity. At times, she embraced the male lifestyle that had been created for her and was perpetuated by her. During her brief marriage, she also seemed happy enough to live as a woman, only to return to the man’s world and life at sea. In a similar vein, legend has it that Mary Read was openly bisexual, equally comfortable in romantic relationships with men and women, but it’s also possible that stories of her romance with Anne Bonny were exaggerated just to add to the mystique of the female pirates. Likewise, there is no record of Anne Bonny being attracted to other women, while it is well documented that she had a long term affair with Calico Jack. And even if the three were at one time all lovers, Mary soon fell in love with the nameless seaman for whom she risked her life. Regardless of what is true and false, and what is documented history and unsubstantiated legend, Mary Read has captured the public imagination as being one of the only two well-documented female pirates in the so-called "Golden Age of Piracy."

  In an age and society where the freedom of women was greatly restricted, Mary Read and Anne Bonny lived a life at sea as full members of a pirate crew. As subsequent generations increasingly romanticize piracy and the likes of Calico Jack, Anne Bonny and Mary Read, their stature continues to grow even further.

  Mary Read and Anne Bonny’s Entry in A General History of the Pyrates

  The LIFE of MARY READ,

  “NOW we are to begin a History full of surprizing Turns and Adventures; I mean, that of Mary Read and Anne Bonny, alias Bonn, which were the true Names of these two Pyrates; the odd Incidents of their rambling Lives are such, that some may be tempted to think the whole Story no better than a Novel or Romance; but since it is supported by many thousand Witnesses, I mean the People of Jamaica, who were present at their Tryals, and heard the Story of their Lives, upon the first discovery of their Sex; the Truth of it can be no more contested, than that there were such Men in the World, as Roberts and Black-beard, who were Pyrates.

  Mary Read was born in England, her Mother was married young, to a Man who used the Sea, who going a Voyage soon after their Marriage, left her with Child, which Child proved to be a Boy. As to the Husband, whether he was cast away, or died in the Voyage, Mary Read could not tell; but however, he never returned more; nevertheless, the Mother, who was young and airy, met with an Accident, which has often happened to Women who are young, and do not take a great deal of Care; which was, she soon proved with Child again, without a Husband to Father it, but how, or by whom, none but her self could tell, for she carried a pretty good Reputation among her Neighbours. Finding her Burthen grow, in order to conceal her Shame, she takes a formal Leave of her Husband’s Relations, giving out, that she went to live with some Friends of her own, in the Country: Accordingly she went away, and carried with her her young Son, at this Time, not a Year old: Soon after her Departure her Son died, but Providence in Return, was pleased to give her a Girl in his Room, of which she was safely delivered, in her Retreat, and this was our Mary Read.

  Here the Mother liv’d three or four Years, till what Money she had was almost gone; then she thought of returning to London, and considering that her Husband’s Mother was in some Circumstances, she did not doubt but to prevail upon her, to provide for the Child, if she could but pass it upon her for the same, but the changing a Girl into a Boy, seem’d a difficult Piece of Work, and how to deceive an experienced old Woman, in such a Point, was altogether as impossible; however, she ventured to dress it up as a Boy, brought it to Town, and presented it to her Mother in Law, as her Husband’s Son; the old Woman would have taken it, to have bred it up, but the Mother pretended it would break her Heart, to part with it; so it was agreed betwixt them, that the Child should live with the Mother, and the supposed Grandmother should allow a Crown a Week for it’s Maintainance.

  Thus the Mother gained her Point, she bred up her Daughter as a Boy, and when she grew up to some Sense, she thought proper to let her into the Secret of her Birth, to induce her to conceal her Sex. It happen’d that the Grandmother died, by which Means the Subsistance that came from that Quarter, ceased, and they were more and more reduced in their Circumstances; wherefore she was obliged to put her Daughter out, to wait on a French Lady, as a Foot-boy, being now thirtee
n Years of Age: Here she did not live long, for growing bold and strong, and having also a roving Mind, she entered her self on Board a Man of War, where she served some Time, then quitted it, went over into Flanders, and carried Arms in a Regiment of Foot, as a Cadet; and tho’ upon all Actions, she behaved herself with a great deal of Bravery, yet she could not get a Commission, they being generally bought and sold; therefore she quitted the Service, and took on in a Regiment of Horse; she behaved so well in several Engagements, that she got the Esteem of all her Officers; but her Comrade who was a Fleming, happening to be a handsome young Fellow, she falls in Love with him, and from that Time, grew a little more negligent in her Duty, so that, it seems, Mars and Venus could not be served at the same Time; her Arms and Accoutrements which were always kept in the best Order, were quite neglected: ’tis true, when her Comrade was ordered out upon a Party, she used to go without being commanded, and frequently run herself into Danger, where she had no Business, only to be near him; the rest of the Troopers little suspecting the secret Cause which moved her to this Behaviour, fancied her to be mad, and her Comrade himself could not account for this strange Alteration in her, but Love is ingenious, and as they lay in the same Tent, and were constantly together, she found a Way of letting him discover her Sex, without appearing that it was done with Design.