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Anne Bonny

 

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Anne Bonny


 
 

Anne Bonny was an Irish AmericanIrish American

Irish Americans are residents of the United States who acknowledge Irish ancestry....
 pirate who plied her trade in the CaribbeanCaribbean

The Caribbean is a region of the Americas consisting of the Caribbean Sea, its islands , and the surrounding coasts....
.

Early life

Much of what is known about Anne Bonny is based on Captain Charles JohnsonCharles Johnson (pirate biographer)

Captain Charles Johnson is the author of A General History of the Robberies and Murders of the most notorious Pyrates...
's A General History of the PyratesA General History of the Pyrates

A General History of the Robberies and Murders of the most notorious Pyrates is a 1724 book containing biographies of co...
. Official records and contemporary letters dealing with her life are scarce. Various sources disagree about her birth year, but according to descendants she was born in 1698. John Carlova in his book Mistress of The Seas, gives Anne's birthdate as March 8,1700.

Anne Bonny, born in County CorkCounty Cork Overview

County Cork is the most southwesterly and the largest of the modern counties of Republic of Ireland....
, IrelandIreland

Ireland is the third largest island in Europe....
, was a daughter of attorney William Cormac and his maidservant. Her mother was named either Mary or Peg Brennan. When the affair became public, Cormac, with his new wife and newborn child, left Ireland for Charleston, South CarolinaCharleston, South Carolina

Charleston is a city in the counties of Berkeley and Charleston in the U.S....
, where he made a fortune and bought a large plantationPlantation

A plantation is an intentional planting of a crop, on a larger scale, usually for uses other than cereal production or pastu...
.

Marriage and later affair with a pirate

The few records of Bonny which exist seem to reflect that she was intelligent, attractive, and quick-tempered. When she was 13, she supposedly stabbed a servant girl in the stomach with a table knife, although it is unclear whether this is fact or purely legend. At 16, she married a sailor and small-time pirate named James Bonny. James Bonny hoped to win possession of his wife's family estate, but she was disowned by her father.

According to legend, Anne Bonny started a fire on the plantation in retaliation. James Bonny then took his new bride to New ProvidenceNew Providence

New Providence is an island, one of the most populous in the Bahamas....
 (modern-day NassauNassau, Bahamas

Nassau is the capital city and commercial centre of the Commonwealth of the Bahamas....
), Bahamas, a pirate hub and base for many pirate operations, where he became an informant for Governor Woodes RogersWoodes Rogers

Woodes Rogers, was an English privateer and later the first royal governor of the Bahamas....
.

While in the Bahamas, Anne Bonny began mingling with pirates at the local drinking establishments, and met the pirate John "Calico Jack" RackhamCalico Jack

Jack Rackham, or John Rackham, was a pirate captain during the 18th century....
, with whom she had an affair. While Rackham and many other pirates were enjoying the King's pardon in the New Providence, James dragged Anne before Gov. RogersWoodes Rogers

Woodes Rogers, was an English privateer and later the first royal governor of the Bahamas....
 to demand she be floggedFacts About Flagellation

Flagellation is the act of whipping the human body....
 for adultery & returned to him. There was even an offer for Rackham to buy her in a divorceDivorce

Divorce or dissolution of marriage is the ending of a marriage before the death of either spouse....
-by-purchase, but Anne refused to be "bought and sold like cattle." She was sentenced to the flogging, but later Anne and Rackham escaped to live together as pirates.

Life as a pirate

She disguised herself as a man in order to join Rackham's crew aboard the Revenge. The couple stole a sloopSloop

A sloop in sailing, is a vessel with a Fore-and-aft rig....
 at anchor in the harbor and set off to sea, putting together a crew and taking several prizes. She took part in combat alongside the males, and the accounts describing her exploits present her as competent, effective in combat, and someone who gained the respect of her fellow pirates.

Over the next several years, she and Rackham saw quite a few successes as pirates, capturing many ships, and bringing in an abundance of treasure. According to legend, she stabbed a fellow pirate through the heart when he discovered her gender.

Although Bonny is one of the best-known pirates in history, she never commanded a ship of her own. Her renown derives from the fact that she was a remarkable rarity: a female pirate.

Meeting Mary Read

Bonny was not to be the only female pirate on Rackam's ship. A woman by the name of Mary ReadMary Read

Mary Read was a female pirate who lived in the late 17th century and early 18th century. ...
 also disguised herself as a man to join the crew, after her ship was taken during a raid. Bonny and Read became close companions to one another because both were pregnant. They met when Bonny walked in on Read undressing one day, and she discovered her secret. The two women agreed to keep this from everyone, and Bonny swore not to reveal that Read was really a woman. It was indicated in the writings of author and Captain Charles Johnson that, at least at first, their attraction to one another was of a romantic nature, but that is not known beyond a doubt.

But, Read's true identity would not remain secret for long. Rackham became suspicious of Bonny's close relationship with the new sailor, and demanded an explanation. When Read confessed that she was actually a woman, Rackham allowed her to stay on as a member of his crew, eventually revealing her secret to the other crew members. However, this had no effect on her service, and she was accepted on board the ship as Bonny had been.

Capture and imprisonment

In October 1720, Rackham and his crew were attacked by a sloop captained by Jonathan Barnet, who was working for the governor of JamaicaJamaica

Jamaica is an island nation of the Greater Antilles, 240 kilometres in length and as much as 85 kilometres in width situat...
. Most of Rackham's pirates did not put up much resistance as many of them were too drunk to fight. However, Read and Bonny, who were sober, fought fiercely and managed to hold off Barnet's troops for a short time. After their capture, Rackham and his crew were sentenced by the Governor of Jamaica to be hangedHanging

Hanging is a form of execution or a method of committing suicide....
. Jack hid while the pregnant (and recently proved) ladies dealt with a great number of captors. Bonny is reported to have chastised the imprisoned Rackham (who wanted to see her one last time) by saying, "I am sorry to see you here Jack, but if you had fought like a man, you need not be hanged like a dog."

After their arrest and trial, Read and Bonny both pleaded their belliesPleading the belly

Pleading the belly was a process available at British Common Law, which permitted entitled pregnant with late stage fetuses ...
, announcing during the sentencing phase that they were both pregnant. In accordance with English common lawEnglish common Law

English common Law is an Anglo-Saxon legal tradition that bases law on past legal precedent....
, both women received a temporary stay of executionStay of execution

A stay of execution is a court order to temporarily suspend the execution of a court judgement....
 until they gave birth. Mary Read died in prison most likely from a fever; it has been alleged that she died during childbirth.

Disappearance from the record

There is no historical record of Bonny's release or of her execution. This has fed speculation that her father ransomRansom

Ransom is the practice of holding a prisoner to extort money or property extorted to secure their release, or to the sum of ...
ed her; that she might have returned to her husband, or even that she resumed a life of piracy under a new identity. However, the Oxford Dictionary of National Biography states that "Evidence provided by the descendants of Anne Bonny suggests that her father managed to secure her release from gaol and bring her back to Charles Town, South Carolina, where she gave birth to Rackham's second child. On December 21 1721 she married a local man, Joseph Burleigh, and they had eight children. She died in South Carolina, a respectable woman, at the age of eighty-two and was buried on April 25 1782".

In popular culture

  • A novel named Pirate Spirit: The Adventures of Anne Bonny by Jeffrey Williams
  • The novel, by attempts to fill in the historical gaps regarding the life of Anne Bonny. This "historical fiction" is based on Caribbean piracy of the early 18th century and documented accounts of the lady pirate.
  • A film loosely based on Bonny's story, Anne of the IndiesAnne of the Indies Summary

    Anne of the Indies is a 1951 romantic-action-adventure film made by 20th Century Fox....
    was made in 1951 starring Jean PetersJean Peters

    Elizabeth Jean Peters was an American actress....
     in the title role.
  • Bonny, along with Mary Read, is one of the main characters in the webcomic by Gwendolyn Meer. The story is a modernized adaptation of the events of their lives.
  • In the comic book WitchbladeWitchblade

    Witchblade is a comic book series published by Top Cow Productions, an imprint of ...
    published by Top Cow ProductionsTop Cow Productions

    Top Cow Productions is a partner studio of * Battle of the Planets #1-12...
    , Bonny is portrayed as having once wielded the titular weapon. Calico Jack and Mary Read also appear.
  • Bonny and Mary Read are featured in the 11th movie of the Detective Conan anime series, , as a crucial plot point.
  • Bonny makes an appearance in Erica JongErica Jong

    Erica Jong is an American author and educator....
    's novel Fanny, Being the True History of the Adventures of Fanny Hackabout-Jones.
  • Binnie BarnesBinnie Barnes

    Gittel Enoyce Barnes was a British American actress....
     plays Bonny in The Spanish MainFacts About The Spanish Main

    The Spanish Main is a 1945 adventure film starring Maureen O'Hara and directed by Frank Borzage....
    ,
    a 1945 adventure movie starring Maureen O'HaraMaureen O'Hara

    Maureen O'Hara on August 17 1920 is an Irish film actress....
     and Paul HenreidPaul Henreid

    Paul Georg Julius Hernreid Freiherr von Wassel-Waldingau,, known professionally as Paul Henreid, was an actor and fil...
    .
  • Bonny and Read are featured on the wall of DisneylandDisneyland

    Disneyland Park, formerly referred to simply as Disneyland from 1955-1998 is an elaborate "theme park" at Disneyland R...
    's "Pirates of the CaribbeanPirates of the Caribbean

    Pirates of the Caribbean is a franchise that began as an attraction at Disney theme parks and has evolved to include a s...
    " ride. Patrons are given their clearest view of this when their boat makes one of the last turns right before the parrot, or when they first go inside and look around the corner.
  • The 2002 board gameBoard game

    A board game is a game played with counters or pieces that are placed on, removed from, or moved across a "board" ....
     Pirate's CovePirate's Cove

    Pirate's Cove is a German-style board game designed by Paul Randles and Daniel Stahl, and published in Europe in 2002 by Ami...
     published by Days of WonderDays of Wonder

    Days of Wonder is a board game publisher based in the United States and France....
     contains the 6 legendary pirate cards one of which is Anne Bonny & Mary Read.
  • Bonny & Read appeared in "Pirates" for Sky/Discovery Channel starring Lorna BennettLorna Bennett

    Lorna Bennett is a British actress, she is sister to actor Jack Bennett....
     & Rachel Ferjani. It won Golden Reel Award for Sound Editing.
  • Bonny appears as one of the Set 6 warriors in the card game AnachronismAnachronism (game) Overview

    Anachronism is a tabletop game with aspects of both miniatures and collectible card genres....
    . She is part of the Pirate culture represented in the set, and among her support cards are cards for Calico Jack and 'Pleading the Belly.'
  • Bonny and Read are depicted to have left a treasure in an island 300 years ago in the
  • A novel The Only Life That Mattered: The Short and Merry Lives of Anne Bonny, Mary Read, and Calico Jack Rackham by James L. Nelson
  • In the One Piece manga, there is a pirate captain with the same surname: "The Glutton" Jewelry Bonny, Captain of the Bonny Pirates with a bounty of 140,000,000 Beli
  • Laura Viers included an instrumental track on her album Carbon Glacier (2004) entitled Anne Bonny Rag. The track begins as ragtimeFacts About Ragtime

    Ragtime is an American musical genre enjoying its peak popularity between 1899–1918....
     pianoPiano Summary

    piano or pianoforte is a musical instrument classified as a keyboard, percussion, or string instrument, depending on t...
     and ends with a horn sectionHorn section

    In a symphony orchestra the horn section is the group of musicians who play the horn....
     which moves the tone more towards reggaeReggae

    Reggae is a music genre developed in Jamaica in the late 1960s....
    .

Sources

  • David Cordingly, "Bonny, Anne (1698–1782)", Oxford Dictionary of National Biography, Oxford University Press, 2004

External links

  • at