a female pirate of the 1700s. Born in Ireland, Anne was the illegitimate child of a prominent lawyer and the family maid. The three of them-father, daughter and maid-soon
left Ireland due to the
scandal, and moved to America. Anne had many wealthy suitors, but ended up marrying a pauper, James Bonny, who took her to the Bahamas. There she met the pirate Calico
Jack Rackham and ran off with him to a
life of piracy. At
sea, dressed as a
man and with few on
board knowing she was a woman, Anne proved to be just as brave and reckless a pirate as any other. During this
period, she met up with another female pirate disguised as a
man, Mary
Read, and they became two of the most notorious pirates of their
time. When Rackham's
ship was captured in 1720, Anne and Mary were
tried and sentenced to be executed along with the eight other members of the
crew-but escaped their
fate by proving to the judge that they were both pregnant and therefore, by
law, could not be killed. Both went to prison where Anne had her child but was never executed and Mary died of illness.
(flourished 1720) a woman of Irish
birth who went to the
West Indies with her father. While there she secretly married a pirate and joined his
ship dressed in
man's clothing. She was captured in 1720 but escaped the
death penalty because she was pregnant. How many were going
right straight along in those
boots? Pirates There was Anne Bonny, Mary
Read. iYour
Case (3
Jan. 60)
(flourished 1720) a woman of Irish
birth who went to the
West Indies with her father. While there she secretly married a pirate and joined his
ship dressed in
man's clothing. She was captured in 1720 but escaped the
death penalty because she was pregnant. How many were going
right straight along in those
boots? Pirates There was Anne Bonny, Mary
Read. ?Your
Case (3
Jan. 60)