Episode 10: The Story of Anne Bonny and Mary Read
Anne had flaming red hair, and the stereotypical fiery temper to go with it.
She was the illegitimate daughter of Irish lawyer, William Cormac. In those days, having a child out of wedlock was kind of a big deal. William Cormac’s maidservant, Mary, gave birth to Anne in sixteen ninety seven. Shortly after her birth and, not surprisingly, William’s wife found out about the child and his mistress.
So William fled with Mary and baby Anne to America, in order to avoid the scandal. They settled in Charleston, where they fell into a tumultuous life with a Troublesome Anne. As Anne got older, her father wanted nothing more than a respectable marriage for his daughter, but Anne had a mind of her own. A respectable marriage was not on her list of things to do.
SHOW NOTES:
1:50 The Birth of Mary Reed
It was nearing the turn of the 18th century, around the same time as Anne’s father fled to America. A desperate woman set off to the countryside, her young son in tow, after receiving the devastating news her husband had been lost at sea. But, she took off to isolation not to mourn, but more so in an attempt to try and hide her growing belly.
And, obviously, it was a scandal because there’s no way the baby belonged to her husband, he had been out to sea for quite some time now.
3:33 Mary’s Youth
Mary spent most of her youth disguised as a boy. We don’t know much about the early days of her life, but I will share with you the few things we do know. At the age of 12 she joined the British army, and while she proved herself in battle, she fell in love with a Flemish soldier and they ran off to the Netherlands. There they ran an inn for a time, until he died.
4:20 James & Anne Bonny’s Marriage
Now, James Bonny didn’t really know what he was getting himself into with Anne. They married sometime around 1715, shortly after she left her father’s home, and they moved to Nassau in the Bahamas.
At the time Nassau was a hotbed of pirates, smugglers, thieves, murderers, and all sorts of questionable company. But their happy love affair didn’t last for very long. As quickly as Anne Bonny had welcomed James into her life, so she cast him out.
5:15 Calico Jack & Anne Bonny Meet
Her eye soon fell on the likes of Captain Calico Jack Rackam. They made a connection and the two began a salacious romantic affair. As for her husband, James, well I think it’s safe to say he was not much a fan of their relations.
But instead of confronting the two directly, James Bonny did what he did best. He reported her adultery to the governor.
Upon her seizure, her faithful lover Calico Jack offered to the governor to buy her out of her marriage, but the governor turned him down. What need have he of a pirates’ money? No, instead the governor decided to punish Anne. He sentenced her to be flogged for her adultery.
6:27 Who is Calico Jack Rackham?
Jack Rackham had previously been a crew member on board on pirate ship Ranger. The ship, and Jack alongside it, had a successful career, if you can consider piracy a career at least. The ranger and her crew plundered and sailed their way up along eastern seaboard of the United States all the way up to New York. When the captain of Ranger, Charles Vane, refused to attack a French warship, his crew turned on him. The crew deposed of Vane and elected Calico Jack Rackham as the new captain on board Ranger.
7:45 Anne’s Escape into a life of Piracy
They broke Anne away from her captors, in a brilliant escape, and stole a sloop that sat in the harbour and they then set off for a bout of piracy. In an effort to keep the peace with the crew, Anne chose to disguise herself as a man. After all, women on board ships were considered bad luck. And the deceit and good luck seemed to work, for a while at least. The marauders cruised around the Caribbean, attacking ships of all sorts and recruiting new members into their pirate ranks.
8:30 Anne & Mary Meet
As the days went on, Anne found herself drawn to one of these new recruits. She met a man named Mark Read. She found him to be charming, attractive, and just the sort of thing she was looking for. When Anne finally decided to make a move, it turned out that Mark, was actually woman. A woman by the name of Mary Read. A woman who spent her entire youth disguised as a male, so why not continue the facade once she turned to piracy?
9:20 Their Collective Capture
As they sat there off the coast of Jamaica, the rest of the crew drunk and asleep in the bellow below, a privateer ship discovered them. The enemy ship readied for battle and began to fire at the pirates.
Anne and Mary, alone on deck, held the defence of their ship. Witnesses claim both women were cursing and swearing, and very willing to fight or do anything needed to save the ship. Mary shot her gun down into the crew hold. She was angered that the rest of the crew were below, cowardly, drunk, and unable to join in on the fight.
10:00 Anne & Mary’s Life After Piracy
Mary Read died in prison of gaol fever.
She was buried in Jamaica in April of 1721. Anne Bonny on the other hand, managed to secure her release.
This possibly had to do with her father’s influence and money. So Anne returned to Charleston, where she gave birth to Jack Rackham’s child. She then married a local man, and with him she had 8 more kids. Anne Bonny died in Charleston at the ripe old age of 84.
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Research for Nautical Nonsense is Conducted by Dr. Martin Bellamy
Sources
Appleby, John C.. Women and English Piracy, 1540-1720: Partners and Victims of Crime. United Kingdom, Boydell Press, 2013.
Duncombe, Laura Sook. Pirate Women: The Princesses, Prostitutes, and Privateers Who Ruled the Seven Seas. United States, Chicago Review Press, 2017.
Druett, Joan. She Captains: Heroines and Hellions of the Sea. United Kingdom, Simon & Schuster, 2001.
Jo Stanley, Bold in Her Breeches: Women Pirates Across the Ages. United Kingdom, Pandora, 1995.
Rediker, Marcus. Villains of All Nations: Atlantic Pirates in the Golden Age. United States, Beacon Press, 2011.
Charles Johnson, A General History of the Pyrates, (London, 1724).
