Anne Bonny | |
---|---|
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 [lower-alpha 1] (disappeared after 28 November 1720) [3] was a pirate operating in the Caribbean, and one of the few female pirates in recorded history. [4] What little that is known of her life comes largely from Captain Charles Johnson's 1724 book A General History of the Pyrates , though the information presented by Johnson about her is considered dubious.
Bonny was born at an unknown date. [lower-alpha 2] Prior to 22 August 1720, she moved to Nassau in the Bahamas, a sanctuary for pirates. [5] It was there that she met Calico Jack Rackham. In August 1720, Rackam, with a crew including Bonny and another woman, Mary Read, stole a ship and became notorious pirates. Bonny was captured alongside Rackham and Read in October 1720. All pirates on board were sentenced to death, but Bonny and Read had their executions stayed because both claimed to be pregnant. Read died in jail around mid April 1721, but Bonny's fate is unknown.
Bonny's birthdate and place is unknown. [6] Nothing definitive is known about her early life. No newspaper or her own trial transcript makes mention of her age or nation or origin. No Anne Bonny born in the late 17th century has been found in the baptism records of Britain. We cannot be sure she is even Irish, her name is more English: Anne, the third most common English given name of the era, and Bonny, an English surname common in Lancashire County that stems from the French word "Bon" which means good. Bonny is not noted to have been a colonist of Nassau before 1713. Prior to 22 August 1720, little can be definitively said about Bonny's early life.
All details concerning Bonny's early life stems from Charles Johnson's A General History of the Pyrates (a greatly unreliable series of pirate biographies). [7] Johnson writes that Bonny was born in County Cork, Ireland. [8] She was the daughter of a servant woman named Mary, and her employer, an unnamed attorney. The attorney's wife had become ill and was moved to her mother-in-law's home a few miles away to be cared for. Whilst his wife was away, he began an affair with Mary, who as a consequence gave birth to a daughter, Anne. Although Anne was therefore illegitimate, the attorney presented her as his legitimate daughter. [9]
The attorney first moved to London to get away from his wife's family, and he began dressing Anne as a boy. When his wife discovered he had taken in his illegitimate daughter and was bringing the child up to be a lawyer's clerk and dressing her as a boy, she stopped giving him an allowance. [10] The attorney then moved to the Province of Carolina, taking along Anne and her mother Mary. At first, the family had a rough start in their new home; the attorney attempted to establish himself as a lawyer in Charles Town but did not do well. However, his knowledge of the law and ability to buy and sell goods soon financed a townhouse and eventually a plantation just outside the town. Mary died when Anne was young. [11]
It is recorded that Bonny was considered a "good catch" but may have had a fiery temper; she supposedly stabbed a servant girl with a knife. [12] She married a poor sailor and small-time pirate named James Bonny. [13] James hoped to win possession of his father-in-law's estate, but Bonny was disowned by her father. Anne's father did not approve of James Bonny as a husband for his daughter, and he threw Anne out of his house. [14]
There is a story that Bonny set fire to her father's plantation in retaliation, but even Johnson doubts this occurred. However, it is known that sometime in the 1710s, she and James Bonny moved to Nassau, on New Providence Island, known as a sanctuary for English pirates. [15] Johnson claims that, after the arrival of Governor Woodes Rogers in the summer of 1718, James Bonny became an informant for the governor. [16] This is unlikely, as no James Bonny is noted in Captain Vincent Pearse's list of pirates who took the Kings Pardon. [17] James Bonny would report to Governor Rogers about the pirates in the area, which resulted in a multitude of these pirates being arrested. Anne disliked the work her husband did for Governor Rogers.
While in Nassau, Bonny at some point met John "Calico Jack" Rackham. The nature of his relationship with her is unclear; General History claims it was romantic, while her own trial transcript says nothing on the matter. She was likely well acquainted with Rackham by the year 1720, after the War of the Quadruple Alliance and two years into the reign of Governor Rogers.
In August 1720, Bonny, Rackham, and another woman, Mary Read, together with about a dozen other pirate crewmembers, stole the sloop William, then at anchor in Nassau harbor, and put out to sea. [18] The crew spent months in the West Indies attacking merchant ships. [19] Bonny took part in piracy alongside the men, handing out gunpowder to fellow pirates, a job usually referred to as a powder monkey. [20] On 5 September 1720, Governor Rogers put out a proclamation later published in The Boston Gazette , demanding the arrest of Rackham and his associates. Among those named are Anne Bonny and Mary Read. [16]
General History claims Bonny eventually fell in love with another pirate on board, only to discover it was Mary Read. To abate the jealousy of Rackham, who suspected romantic involvement between the two, Bonny told him that Read was a woman and swore him to secrecy. [22] This is unlikely, since Rogers' proclamation names both women openly. Later drawings of Bonny and Read would emphasise their femininity, although this too likely did not reflect reality. [23]
A victim of the pirates, Dorothy Thomas of Jamaica, would describe in detail Bonny and Read's appearance during their trial: They "wore men's jackets, and long trousers, and handkerchiefs tied about their heads: and ... each of them had a machete and pistol in their hands and they cursed and swore at the men to murder her [Dorothy Thomas]." Thomas also recorded that she knew that they were women, "from the largeness of their breasts." [24]
On 22 October 1720, [25] Rackham and his crew were attacked by a sloop captained by Jonathan Barnet under a commission from Nicholas Lawes, Governor of Jamaica. Most of Rackham's pirates put up little resistance, as many of them were too drunk to fight. They were taken to Jamaica where they were convicted and sentenced by Governor Lawes to be hanged. [26] Anne Bonny's trial took place in Spanish Town on 28 November. [27] Bonny, Read, and the other pirates were found guilty of piracy and sentenced to be hanged.
Bonny and Read both "pleaded their bellies", asking for mercy, [28] a jury of matrons likely granted them a stay of execution until they gave birth, but its debatable if they were actually pregnant. [29] Read died in prison of unknown causes around April 1721. A burial registry for Saint Catherine Parish lists her burial on 28 April 1721 as, "Mary Read, Pirate". [30]
There is no record of Bonny's release, and this has fed speculation as to her fate. [31] Johnson writes in A General History that: "She was continued in Prison, to the Time of her lying in, and afterward reprieved from Time to Time; but what is become of her since we cannot tell; only this we know, that she was not executed". [32]
Claims of Bonny being freed by family intervention and moving to the American colonies, dying around the 1780s, are unlikely and appear to originate from the 1964 romance novel Mistress of the Seas . [33]
A burial register in Spanish Town, where Bonny was tried, lists the burial of an "Ann Bonny" on 29 December 1733. [30]
Despite a career of only two months, Anne Bonny is among the most famous pirates in recorded history, primarily due to her gender. Within a decade, Bonny-inspired characters like Jenny Diver in John Gay's Polly were already appearing. [34] In the 19th century, literature such as Charles Ellms' Pirates Own Book would discuss Bonny at length, often with illustrations. An 1888 cigarette card would depict Bonny as a redhead, a trait that continues to this day despite no evidence supporting it. Swashbuckling cinema would often include a dashing redhaired woman or female pirate companion, occasionally directly naming Bonny. [35] By the 21st century, Bonny has appeared in hundreds of books, movies, stage shows, TV programs, and video games. [36] Almost every female pirate character, is in some form, inspired by Anne Bonny. [37]
In 2020, a statue of Bonny and Read was unveiled at Execution Dock in Wapping, London. It was originally planned for the statues to be permanently placed on Burgh Island in south Devon, [38] but these plans were withdrawn after complaints of glamorizing piracy, and because Bonny and Read have no association with the island. [39] The statues were eventually accepted by Lewes F.C. [40]
Bartholomew Roberts, born John Roberts, was a Welsh pirate who was, measured by vessels captured, the most successful pirate of the Golden Age of Piracy. During his piratical career, he took over 400 prize ships. Roberts raided ships off the Americas and the West African coast between 1719 and 1722; he is also noted for creating his own pirate code, and adopting an early variant of the Skull and Crossbones flag.
John Rackham, commonly known as Calico Jack, was an English pirate captain operating in the Bahamas and in Cuba during the early 18th century. His nickname was derived from the calico clothing that he wore, while Jack is a nickname for "John".
Mary Read, was an English pirate about whom there is very little factual documentation. She and Anne Bonny were among the few female pirates during the "Golden Age of Piracy".
Captain Charles Johnson was the British author of the 1724 book A General History of the Robberies and Murders of the most notorious Pyrates, whose identity remains a mystery. No record exists of a captain by this name, and "Captain Charles Johnson" is generally considered a pen name for one of London's writer-publishers. Some scholars have suggested that the author was actually Daniel Defoe, but this is disputed.
Walking the plank was a method of execution practiced on special occasion by pirates, mutineers, and other rogue seafarers. For the amusement of the perpetrators and the psychological torture of the victims, captives were bound so they could not swim or tread water and forced to walk off a wooden plank or beam extended over the side of a ship.
The Golden Age of Piracy is a common designation for the period between the 1650s and the 1730s, when maritime piracy was a significant factor in the histories of the North Atlantic and Indian Oceans.
George Lowther was an English pirate who, although little is known of his life, was reportedly active in the Caribbean and Atlantic during the early 18th century. His first mate was Edward Low.
Charles Vane was an English pirate who operated in the Bahamas during the end of the Golden Age of Piracy.
A General History of the Robberies and Murders of the most notorious Pyrates, or simply A General History of the Pyrates, is a 1724 book published in Britain containing biographies of contemporary pirates, which was influential in shaping popular conceptions of pirates. Its author uses the name Captain Charles Johnson, generally considered a pen name for one of London's writer-publishers. The prime source for the biographies of many well-known pirates, the book gives an almost mythical status to the more colourful characters, and it is likely that the author used considerable artistic license in his accounts of pirate conversations. The book also contains the name of Jolly Roger, the pirate flag, and shows the skull and crossbones design.
Sir Nicholas Lawes was a British judge and colonial administrator who served as the governor of Jamaica from 1718 to 1722.
See also 1718 in piracy, 1720 in piracy, 1719 and Timeline of piracy.
See also 1719 in piracy, 1721 in piracy and Timeline of piracy.
The capture of John "Calico Jack" Rackham was a single-ship action fought between English pirate Calico Jack and British privateer Jonathan Barnet. The battle was fought in the vicinity of Negril, Jamaica and ended with the capture of Rackham and his crew.
The Republic of Pirates was the base and stronghold of a loose confederacy run by privateers-turned-pirates in Nassau on New Providence island in the Bahamas during the Golden Age of Piracy for about twelve years from 1706 until 1718. While it was not a republic in a formal sense, it was governed by an informal pirate code, which dictated that the crews of the Republic would vote on the leadership of their ships and treat other pirate crews with civility. The term comes from Colin Woodard's book of the same name.
John Vidal was a minor Irish-American pirate briefly active near Ocracoke Inlet off North Carolina. He is best known for bringing the Farley family with him, causing wife Martha Farley to be one of the few women tried for piracy.
The Flying Gang was an 18th-century group of pirates who established themselves in Nassau, New Providence in the Bahamas after the destruction of Port Royal in Jamaica. The gang consisted of the most notorious and cunning pirates of the time, and they terrorized and pillaged the Caribbean until the Royal Navy and infighting brought them to justice. They achieved great fame and wealth by raiding salvagers attempting to recover gold from the sunken Spanish treasure fleet. They established their own codes and governed themselves independent from any of the colonial powers of the time. Nassau was deemed the Republic of Pirates as it attracted many former privateers looking for work to its shores. The Governor of Bermuda stated that there were over 1,000 pirates in Nassau at that time and that they outnumbered the mere hundred inhabitants in the town.
Mary Critchett was an English pirate and convict. She is best known for being one of only four confirmed female pirates from the Golden Age of Piracy, and the only one executed.
Jean Bonadvis was a French pirate active in the Caribbean. He is best known for his involvement with Benjamin Hornigold and "Calico Jack" Rackham.
Daniel Porter was a pirate and trader active in the Caribbean. He is best known for his associations with Benjamin Hornigold and Bartholomew Roberts.
Jonathan Barnet was an English privateer in the Caribbean, best known for capturing pirates Calico Jack, Anne Bonny, and Mary Read. The Assembly of the Colony of Jamaica gave him a financial reward, and a large estate in the parish of St James worked by African slaves.
[…] this Intimacy so disturb'd Captain Rackam, who was the Lover and Gallant of Anne Bonny, that he grew furiously jealous, so that he told Anne Bonny, he would cut her new Lover's Throat, therefore, to quiet him, she let him into the Secret also.
{{cite web}}
: CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link)