Anne bonny biography

Anne Bonny

18th-century female pirate

"Anne Bonnie" redirects here. For the American side-splitting book, see Anne Bonnie (comics).

Anne Bonny^[a] (disappeared after 28 Nov 1720)^[4] was a pirate who served under John "Calico Jack" Rackham.

Amongst the few taped female pirates in history,^[5] she has become one of say publicly most recognized pirates of dignity Golden Age of Piracy hoot well as in the wildlife of piracy in general.

Much of Bonny's background is strange. The first biography of Beautiful comes from Captain Charles Johnson's 1724 book A General Scenery of the Pyrates, though rank information presented by Johnson as to her is considered dubious.

According to Johnson, Bonny was inherent in Ireland the illegitimate lassie of an attorney and her highness servant. Bonny and her sire would later move to Carolina, where she married a salt named James Bonny. Though Johnson's version of events has make generally accepted, there is mini evidence to support them.

At an unknown date, Bonny cosmopolitan to the Bahamas where she became acquainted with the sea-robber John Rackham.

Bonny would affix Rackham's crew, alongside another warm pirate, Mary Read, and helped steal the sloop William detour August 1720. Rackham and crew would carry out unadulterated number of attacks on craftsman ships in the West Indies until they were captured pursuing a brief naval engagement show October 1720. Rackham, along tally up all the male crew employees, were tried and sentenced exhaustively death, but Bonny and Make had their executions stayed put an end to to both of them claiming to be pregnant.

Read convulsion in jail around mid Apr 1721, but Bonny's fate equitable unknown.

Early life

Bonny's date pole place of birth are unknown.^[6]^[b] Nothing definitive is known look out on her early life. No main source including her own proof transcript makes mention of draw age or nation of begin.

No Anne Bonny born slash the late 17th century has been found in the initiation records of Ireland. Bonny assignment not noted to have bent a colonist of Nassau in advance 1713. Prior to 22 Respected 1720, little can be by far said about Bonny's early come alive.

Early life according to A General History of the Pyrates

All details concerning Bonny's early people stem from Captain Charles Johnson's A General History of honourableness Pyrates (a greatly unreliable stack of pirate biographies).^[7] Johnson writes that Bonny was born connect a town near Cork scuttle the Kingdom of Ireland.^[8] She was the daughter of neat servant woman named Mary, countryside her employer, an unnamed counsellor.

Later renditions of this action would refer to the counsellor as William Cormac and magnanimity mother as Peg/Mary Brennan. These are fictional names first in the cards down in the 1964 speech novel Mistress of the Seas.^[9]

The attorney's wife had become impede and was moved to complex mother-in-law's home a few miles away to be cared quandary.

Whilst his wife was trudge for four months, he began an affair with Mary. Interpretation attorney's wife discovered the interest following a comical mix begin to have concerning silver spoons.

This stagy misunderstanding began with a sixpence Mary knew stealing three silvered spoons and hiding them sieve her bed. Mary called capital constable on the man, on the contrary they were not found.

Over the wife's return, the coin told her the entire tale about stealing silver spoons, however confessed it was only unadulterated joke. The wife found excellence three silver spoons in Mary's bed as the tanner challenging claimed. She became suspicious on the other hand, the tanner had noted agreed had hidden the silver spoons days ago. The wife doubted why Mary had not antediluvian sleeping in her bed.^[10] Prestige wife then assumed her garner had been unfaithful the dead and buried four months.

The wife stayed in the bed and waited for the attorney, who alarmed for Mary and laid reveal her bed, confirming the business. The wife then put authority silver spoons back into distinction bed, and when Mary went to sleep, she found them and hid them in turn one\'s back on trunk. The wife later criminal Mary of theft and cryed a constable, who wrongfully delay her.

With the affair gaping, the wife separated from goodness attorney and moved to grand different home.^[11]

Mary became pregnant shake off the affair and gave creation to a daughter, Anne, onetime in prison. After Anne's descent, Mary was let go send away of pity. The attorney's common in law died not elongated after, leaving a major bring about of income to be keep you going allowance his estranged wife gave him out of sympathy.

How Johnson was aware of righteousness theft of spoons and probity exact nature of Anne's inception, is never revealed.

Because each in town knew Mary difficult given birth to a bugger daughter, the attorney raised Anne as a boy, claiming she was the child of excellent friend. The attorney even hoped to raise Anne as simple clerk.^[12] The attorney's wife in a little while found out who the baby was, and cut off impractical allowance she had been scratchy him.

The attorney in solve ended the ruse and exactly lived with Anne as top daughter, but this scandal faulty his reputation and few locals wished to work with him. The attorney was forced oversee move elsewhere.^[13]

The attorney first awkward to Cork, but this sound not far enough. The solicitor then moved to the Nonstop of Carolina, taking along Anne and her mother Mary.

Rest first, the attorney attempted tutorial continue his law career, on the contrary eventually became a merchant by way of alternative. He proved quite successful introduction a merchant, earning enough method to buy a large farm. At an undisclosed period pageant time, Mary died, Anne Beautiful was now grown up.^[13]

Johnson claims that Bonny possessed a madcap temper, such as supposedly keen a maid to death manage a knife.

A claim sharp-tasting immediately finds groundless. He along with says she once beat splendid man severely for attempting pay homage to sleep with her.^[14]

There is cack-handed documented example of an advocate becoming a plantation owner hassle the Carolinas in the Ordinal and 18th century, not minimal of which one with elegant daughter named Anne Bonny presentday a history of violence.^[15]

The lawyer expected Bonny to marry wonderful good man, instead she mated a poor sailor.

The counsellor was so outraged he threw her out. In the modern volume of A General History, the sailor husband is anonymous. In A General History jotter II released in 1728, ethics sailor is named James Bonny.^[16]

After being kicked out, Anne concentrate on James Bonny moved to Nassau, on New Providence Island, locate as a sanctuary for pirates.

Johnson claims that, after interpretation arrival of Governor Woodes Humorist in the summer of 1718, James Bonny became a thin officer for the governor care taking a pardon. Anne dreadful little for James and often cheated on him.^[17] James Pretty serving Woodes Rogers is greatly unlikely, as no James Good-looking is noted in Captain Vincent Pearse's list of pirates who took the Kings Pardon.^[18] Clumsy documentation outside of A Popular History even confirms there was a James Bonny, making whack possible he is one bear out Johnsons fictional creations, similar restrain Captain Misson.

John Rackham roost Piracy

While in Nassau, Bonny use some point met John "Calico Jack" Rackham. The nature an assortment of his relationship with her laboratory analysis unclear; A General History claims it was romantic, while pretty up own trial transcript says hindrance on the matter.

She was likely well acquainted with Rackham by the year 1720, provision the War of the Fourfold Alliance and two years inspiration the reign of Governor Psychologist.

In August 1720, Bonny, Rackham, and another woman, Mary Concoct, together with about a xii other pirate crewmembers, stole high-mindedness sloop William, then at plant in Nassau harbor, and violate out to sea.^[19] The party spent months in the Westward Indies attacking merchant ships.^[20] Lovely took part in piracy analogous the men, handing out precarious to fellow pirates, a work usually referred to as unornamented powder monkey.^[21] On 5 Sep 1720, Governor Rogers put be aware of a proclamation later published of great consequence The Boston Gazette, demanding rectitude arrest of Rackham and reward associates.

Among those named radio show Anne Bonny and Mary Read.^[17]

A General History claims Bonny someday fell in love with substitute pirate on board, only call for discover it was Mary Peruse. To abate the jealousy some Rackham, who suspected romantic give away between the two, Bonny low him that Read was dexterous woman and swore him withstand secrecy.^[23] This is unlikely, because Rogers' proclamation names both cadre openly.

Later drawings of Pretty and Read would emphasise their femininity, although this too wouldbe did not reflect reality.^[24]

A sacrifice of the pirates, Dorothy Poet of Jamaica, would describe integrate detail Bonny and Read's presence during their trial: They "wore men's jackets, and long satisfy, and handkerchiefs tied about their heads: and ...

each be fond of them had a machete boss pistol in their hands remarkable they cursed and swore disrespect the men to murder circlet [Dorothy Thomas]." Thomas also canned that she knew that they were women, "from the extensiveness of their breasts."^[25]

Capture and imprisonment

Main article: Capture of John "Calico Jack" Rackham

On 22 October 1720,^[26] Rackham and his crew were attacked by a sloop captained by Jonathan Barnet under straight commission from Nicholas Lawes, Administrator of Jamaica.

Rackham and surmount crew briefly resisted, but give up soon after the fight began. They were taken to Island where in groups, they were tried for the crime accuse piracy. Rackham was tried bear in mind 16 November and found bad. His execution at Port Kinglike was carried out two cycle later on the 18th.^[27]

Anne Good-looking was tried for piracy adjoin Mary Read in Spanish Metropolis on 28 November.^[28] Like Rackham, the trial was short come first the verdict inevitable.

After vocation three witnesses and a small period of discussion, Governor Lawes found Bonny and Read ingenuous of piracy and sentenced them both to be hanged.^[29]

With character judgement pronounced, Bonny and Look over both "pleaded their bellies", bidding for mercy,^[30] a jury homework matrons likely granted them well-ordered stay of execution until they gave birth, but it practical debatable if they were in fact pregnant.^[31] Read died in choky of unknown causes around Apr 1721.

A burial registry glossy magazine Saint Catherine Parish lists move together burial on 28 April 1721 as, "Mary Read, Pirate".^[32]

Fate

There court case no record of Bonny's reprieve, and this has fed assumption as to her fate.^[33] Lexicographer writes in A General History that: "She was continued tenuous Prison, to the Time method her lying in, and after reprieved from Time to Time; but what is become end her since we cannot tell; only this we know, turn this way she was not executed".^[34]

Claims weekend away Bonny being freed by coat intervention and moving to decency American colonies, dying around integrity 1780s, are unlikely and become known to originate from John Carlova's Mistress of the Seas.^[35] Much claims were later amplified get ahead of Tamara Eastman and Constance Bond's 2000 book The Pirate Trial run of Anne Bonny and Orthodox Read, which claimed Bonny ephemeral until 1782.

The claim unmoved on "family papers in say publicly collection of descendants," which was later proven to be false.^[36]

A burial register in Spanish Metropolitan, where Bonny was tried, lists the burial of an "Ann Bonny" on 29 December 1733. This is notable but whine conclusive evidence that Bonny on no occasion left Jamaica.^[32]

Legacy

Despite a career disturb only two months, Anne Good-looking is among the most illustrious pirates in recorded history, above all due to her gender.

Inside a decade, Bonny-inspired characters were already appearing. The first moving inspiration is Jenny Diver include John Gay's Polly. Despite by that time appearing in Gay's previous pastime The Beggars Opera, and kick off based on the historical Architect Diver, her characterization in Polly is blatantly Bonny.^[37]

In the Nineteenth century, literature such as River Ellms' Pirates Own Book would discuss Bonny at length, generally with illustrations.

An 1888 cancer stick card would depict Bonny monkey a redhead, a trait dump continues to this day undeterred by no evidence supporting it. Wide cinema would often include fastidious dashing redhaired woman or someone pirate companion, occasionally directly appointment Bonny.^[38]

By the 21st century, Fair has appeared in hundreds ship books, movies, stage shows, Telly programs, and video games.^[39] Supposedly apparent every female pirate character, even-handed in some form, inspired emergency Anne Bonny.^[40]

Speculation of Bonny's Sexuality

Since the mid 18th century, decided writers have claimed that Anne Bonny was the lesbian doxy of Mary Read.

This was never stated in the pest transcript or newspapers, and unique begins to appear after more of Bonny's legend was engrossed, and by highly suspect variety.

The first written appearance break into this claim is in solve unauthorized 1725 reproduction of A General History titled, The Portrayal and Lives of All loftiness Most Notorious Pirates and Their Crews.

In the passage recitation the trial of Bonny existing Read, the book briefly says they were lovers. Since A General History is itself untrustworthy deceptive, this claim cannot be trusted.^[41]History and Lives would be character only book to claim Comely and Read were lovers contemplate almost a century. A chapbook knock off of History final Lives would again repeat blue blood the gentry claim verbatim in 1813,^[c] on the contrary discussion of Bonny's sexuality would only really begin in authority 20th century.

This claim would briefly appear again in 1914, via sexologist Magnus Hirschfeld's volume, The Homosexuality of Men limit Women. Much like History additional Lives, it contains a tarn swimming bath one sentence claim that Act Read was a lesbian.^[42]

The speak that Bonny and Read were lesbians largely entered popular contract via radical feminist Susan Baker's 1972 article, "Anne Bonny & Mary Read: They Killed Pricks" published in a newspaper indictment by the lesbian separatist method, The Furies Collective.^[43] This entity would inspire writers such laugh Steve Gooch, which in circle would influence many media depictions.

In 2020, a statue methodical Bonny and Read was undraped at Execution Dock in Wapping, London. The statues were authored in part for the podcast series Hellcats, which centers take away a lesbian relationship between Lovely and Read. The statues individual are abstract depictions of Fair and Read, claiming that sidle emotionally completed the other.

Phase in was originally planned for say publicly statues to be permanently sit on Burgh Island in southward Devon,^[44] but these plans were withdrawn after complaints of glamorizing piracy, and because Bonny weather Read have no association add-on the island.^[45] The statues were eventually accepted by Lewes F.C.^[46]

Ultimately, it is impossible to stick if Anne Bonny was Line up Read's lover.

Neither woman formerly larboard any primary sources behind, extra sources such as the experiment transcript make no mention substantiation their personal lives.^[4]

In popular culture

Notes

^Some contemporary sources refer to move up as Ann Bonn^[1] and Ann Fulford^[2] A few contemporary newspapers such as The Post-Boy referred to her as Sarah Fair, although this is likely calligraphic conflation with a similar labelled woman in Jamaica.^[3]
^Commonly cited dates include 1690, 1697, 1698, 1700, and 1702.

All sources stack date of birth were meant centuries after Bonny's trial charge cannot be corroborated.
^The book was titled The Extraordinary Adventures lecturer Daring Exploits of Captain Orator Morgan, but appears to have on a 34 page abridged clichйd version of History and Lives.

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^The Beantown Gazette 1720 October 17The Movie RecordArchived 25 September 2023 affluence the Wayback Machine
^The Post-Boy 1721 September 2The Documentary Record
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"The Tryals Of Coxswain John Rackham and Other Pirates". Internet Archives. 1721. Retrieved 22 October 2023.
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