My pirate is Anne Bonny. She was a tough, blood thirsty pirate. She was born to a wealthy family, but was not satisfied. She wanted a free life of adventure.
Anne was born Anne Cormac in County Cork, Ireland, the daughter of a servant woman, Mary Brennan. Her father, William Cormac, was a wealthy man who moved his family to Charleston, South Carolina in the early 1700’s. Anne’s mother passed away when Anne was young and she had to take the responsibility of taking care of her father’s house. She didn’t like that. Anne had killed a serving maid in her father’s house for crossing her. When she was 14, Anne also beat up a young man for trying to harm her, injuring him badly enough that he had to stay in bed for several weeks. Anne was a headstrong girl who had long made her father despair over her tomboy antics. She was drawn to the unsavory of man that could be found at the wharves and ports of Charleston. That was where Anne met James Bonny. Before Anne was out of her teens she had married James Bonny, a renegade seaman and sometimes pirate. Apparently, James planned to steal William Cormac's land through the marriage, and Anne's father disowned her. Soon Anne met a man named “Calico Jack" Rackham. It is said that Jack was a handsome and debonair man that the women made much over. He offered Anne a chance to get away from her husband, with the chance to become a pirate. Anne said “yes”. Anne joined his crew by disguised herself as a man. It is said that Anne was so vicious and fought so well with both pistol and cutlass that no one questioned her, anyway, and the one man who that did challenge her lost his life to the tip of her cutlass.
James had a court order to forbid Jack and Anne to see each other, Anne ran away with Calico Jack. She not only raided with Calico Jack, but also Jack's lieutenant, with whom she developed a mutual attraction. “He” turned out to be none other than Mary Read. The two women revealed their gender to each other but kept it secret. Eventually, both were known as bloodthirsty, daring female pirates, swinging their blades and boarding ships, fighting with even more courage than the men—as they proved in their final battle.
Anne became pregnant and Jack took her to Cuba, leaving her to have the baby which did not survive. Jack came back months later to collect her and was saddened by the news. Anne was given a King’s pardon when Jack took her to New Providence to recover. James Bonny tried to have Anne and Jack hung but the Governor of New Providence, remembering a favor Anne had done for him instead punished her and returned her to James Bonny. Jack was let go. Anne did not like being treated like a piece of property and the next evening Anne and Jack escaped to their ship to resume piracy.
Anne became pregnant again. In 1720, a former pirate turned pirate-hunter, Captain Barnet, attacked Calico Jack's ship. Rackham and almost all the pirates were drunk, and the cannon fire was so thick the men hid below decks. Anne Bonny and Mary Read stood their ground, fighting furiously. Outraged by the men's cowardice, Anne is said to have shouted, "If there's a man among ye, ye'll come out and fight like the men ye are [thought?] to be." When this got no response, Anne and Mary shot the male pirates, killing one and wounding several—including Jack Rackham. But despite Anne and Mary's ferocity, the pirates were captured.
Before the trial, Jack Rackham asked to see Anne once more and she reportedly said to him, “ I am sorry to see you here Jack, but if you had fought like a man, you need not be hanged like a dog”. All were hanged—except for Anne and Mary, who "plead their bellies," claiming to be pregnant and it was illegal to execute a pregnant woman until they gave birth. Mary died in prison. Anne was released from prison through a deal her father made and took her back to Charles town, South Carolina. She gave birth to Jack Rackham’s second child and in December 1721 was married to Joseph Burleigh, a local man and they had eight more children. She died a respectable woman on April 25, 1782 at the age of 84.
Anne Bonny was a real life woman pirate that was so feared that even her own husband was afraid of her. In the end she fought harder and better than the men she sailed with but she got her wish to live a life of adventures.
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