Anne Bonny | |
|---|---|
 1724 engraving of Bonny from A General History of the Pyrates | |
| Died | Unknown; last recorded appearance in 1720 |
| Piratical career | |
| Type | Pirate |
| Allegiance | Calico Jack |
| Years active | August – October 1720 |
| Base of operations | Caribbean |
Anne Bonny[a] (disappeared after 28 November 1720)[4] was a pirate who served under John “Calico Jack” Rackham. Amongst the few recorded female pirates in history,[5] she has become one of the most recognized pirates of the Golden Age of Piracy as well as in the history of piracy in general.
Much of Bonny's background is unknown. The first biography of Bonny comes from Captain Charles Johnson's 1724 book A General History of the Pyrates, though the information presented by Johnson about her is considered dubious. According to Johnson, Bonny was born in Ireland the illegitimate daughter of an attorney and his servant. Bonny and her father would later move to Carolina, where she married a sailor named James Bonny. Though Johnson's version of events has become generally accepted, there is little evidence to support them.
At an unknown date, Bonny travelled to the Bahamas where she became acquainted with the pirate John Rackham. Bonny would join Rackham’s crew, alongside another female pirate, Mary Read, and helped steal the sloop William in August 1720. Rackham and his crew would carry out a number of attacks on merchant ships in the West Indies until they were captured following a brief naval engagement in October 1720. Rackham, along with all the male crew members, was tried and sentenced to death, but Bonny and Read had their executions stayed due to both of them claiming to be pregnant. Read died in jail around mid April 1721, but Bonny's fate is unknown.
- ^ Baldwin, Robert. "The Tryals Of Captain John Rackham and Other Pirates". Internet Archives. 1721, p. 14. Retrieved 29 May 2024.
- ^ The Boston Gazette 1720 October 17 The Documentary Record Archived 25 September 2023 at the Wayback Machine
- ^ The Post-Boy 1721 September 2 The Documentary Record
- ^ Baldwin, Robert. "The Tryals Of Captain John Rackham and Other Pirates". Internet Archives. 1721. Retrieved 22 October 2023.
- ^ Appleby, John (2015). Women and English Piracy 1540-1720: Partners and Victims of Crime. Martlesham: The Boydell Press.
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