Anne Bonny and Mary Read

The two most famous female pirates of the Golden Age of Piracy.

Life

Elopement

Anne Bonny was born in Ireland and moved to North America with her father; she later eloped to the pirate haven of Nassau, where she met the pirate "Calico Jack" Rackham and went to sea with him. Mary Read was born in England, disguised as a man from childhood, served as a soldier, and later joined Rackham's ship in the Caribbean.

Disguised as a man

Records say both women fought just like the male pirates and were exceptionally fierce. In 1720 Rackham's ship was captured off Jamaica by the British navy; it is said the male pirates were blind drunk and only the two women put up a fight.

Reprieve

The entire crew was sentenced to hang, but the two women won a reprieve because they were pregnant. Read died in prison the following year; Bonny's fate is a mystery, with some accounts saying she was released, returned to North America and lived out her life quietly.

Legacy

Anne Bonny and Mary Read are among the few documented female pirates; their story, spread by the 1724 A General History of the Pyrates, became one of the most captivating chapters of pirate legend.

Did you know? Bonny is said to have told Rackham before his execution: "If you had fought like a man, you need not have been hanged like a dog."

Key dates

• 1718Anne Bonny meets Rackham in Nassau (approx.)
• 1720Captured by the British navy
• 1721Mary Read died in prison