Anne Bonny

Lore & Background

On 22 August 1720, Bonny, Rackham, and another woman, Mary Read, together with about 13 other male pirate crewmembers, stole the sloop *William* from former pirate and privateer John Ham, then at anchor in Nassau harbor, and put out to sea. The crew spent two months in the West Indies attacking merchant ships. Bonny took part in piracy alongside the men, handing out gunpowder to fellow pirates, a job usually referred to as a powder monkey. On 5 September 1720, Governor Rogers put out a proclamation, later published in *The Boston Gazette* on 17 October, demanding the arrest of Rackham and his associates. Among those named are Anne Bonny and Mary Read. A victim of the pirates, Dorothy Thomas of Jamaica, described Bonny and Read's appearance during their trial. She said 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.' Thomas also recorded that she knew that they were women, 'from the largeness of their breasts.'

In Their Own Story

On 22 October 1720, Rackham and his crew were discovered near Negril Point by a sloop captained by Jonathan Barnet, a former privateer. Rackham and his crew briefly resisted, but surrendered soon after the fight began. What Bonny and Read did during the fight is unclear. *A General History* claims Bonny and Read were the only ones to fight back, but the trial transcript does not support this claim. They were taken to Jamaica where, in groups, they were tried for the crime of piracy. Bonny was tried for piracy alongside Mary Read in Spanish Town on 28 November. After calling four witnesses and a brief period of discussion, Governor Lawes found Bonny and Read guilty of piracy and sentenced them both to be hanged. With the judgement pronounced, Bonny and Read both 'pleaded their bellies', asking for mercy because they were pregnant. Read died in jail around mid April 1721, but Bonny was likely let go at an unknown point, living until 1733.

Reader's Guide

Anne Bonny is a historical figure from the Golden Age of Piracy, known for serving under John Rackham and for being one of the few recorded female pirates. Her early life is largely unknown, with the only biography coming from the unreliable *A General History of the Pyrates*. She joined Rackham's crew in August 1720 alongside Mary Read, and together they stole the sloop *William* from Nassau harbor. After two months of attacking merchant ships in the West Indies, they were captured by Jonathan Barnet on 22 October 1720. Bonny was tried and sentenced to hang, but claimed pregnancy to delay execution. She was likely let go at an unknown point and lived until 1733.

Did You Know?

• Anne Bonny is one of the few recorded female pirates from the Golden Age of Piracy.
• She and Mary Read were named in a proclamation by Governor Rogers on 5 September 1720 demanding their arrest.
• During her trial, a victim named Dorothy Thomas described Bonny wearing men's jackets and long trousers, with a machete and pistol.
• Bonny and Read both pleaded pregnancy to avoid hanging after being sentenced to death.
• The first biography of Bonny comes from Captain Charles Johnson's 1724 book *A General History of the Pyrates*, which is considered greatly unreliable.