Most of what we believe about Anne Bonny’s history comes from Captain Charles Johnson’s (pseud) 1724 book, A General History of the Robberies and Murders of the most notorious Pyrates. As such, her life continues to be something of a mystery, as very little of the information can be verified and it is likely that the author used a level of creative license. Further, in Johnson’s account, she and her fellow female pirate, Mary Read, are little more than sidenotes to Jack Rackham’s story. Nevertheless, Bonny, despite her more than mysterious history, has captivated modern audiences and interest in her continues.

Anne was probably born sometime around 1700 (accounts suggest 1697-8) in Cork, Ireland, the illegitimate daughter of a lawyer named William Cormac and his maid, Mary Brennan. Cormac apparently held a great affection for his daughter and wanted her to live with him, but this would cause a scandal in the town and would reveal his infidelity to his wife. Thus, he dressed her as a boy, called her ‘Andy’, and claimed she was a relative’s son he was raising to be a clerk.

The truth of the matter was, eventually, discovered, and Cormac separated from his wife, taking Anne and the maid to Charles Town (now Charleston, South Carolina). Brennan died of typhoid fever when Anne was 12, and her father, after his law practice did not do well, fell into the merchant business.

Anne had red hair and was believed to have been beautiful, but she also had ‘a fierce and courageous Temper’. One story suggests that she stabbed a servant girl at just 13; a slightly more credible tale says that she once beat a man who had tried to rape her so badly that he was laid up for a long time with his injuries – good for her! 

In an attempt to calm her, a 16 year old Anne was betrothed to a local man, but she instead eloped with a penniless sailor named James Bonny. Furious, her father cast her out and disinherited her.

Bonny was disappointed with this turn of fortunes; he had expected to inherit his father-in-law’s considerable estate. In search of better luck, sometime between 1714-18, he shipped himself and his new wife to Nassau, New Providence – a known haven for pirates. There, Bonny earned money collecting bounties and working as an informant for governor Woodes Rogers, much to Anne’s displeasure. 

Anne ended up mingling with pirates in New Providence’s taverns, and eventually met Captain John ‘Calico Jack’ Rackham around 1718. The pair became involved and Rackham offered Bonny money to divorce Anne, but he was refused and threatened with violence. Anne and Rackham left together anyway, Anne dressing in men’s clothes and joining Rackham on board his vessel, the William. It was generally considered bad luck by pirates to have women on board (they also believed this of people with red hair, another of Anne’s traits) but she proved an excellent pirate, and her ruthless manner meant that the crew soon warmed up to her, so to speak.

Soon after joining Rackham, it was discovered that Anne was pregnant. She left the ship for a time and had the child, likely a son, in Cuba, after which she rejoined them. 

It is not known when Mary Read – dressed as a man – also joined the crew of the William, but the two women grew close. It has been speculated that they had an affair, but evidence of this is scant. According to Johnson, Anne did have feelings for Read, but upon learning of these feelings, Read revealed her gender. Rackham also knew of Read’s true identity, as he had grown jealous of the two women’s friendship and believed that Anne was involved with who he thought to be ‘Mark’ Read. Safe to say, this jealousy soon vanished.

Anne and Mary were as brutal as any pirate. They ‘were both very profligate, cursing and swearing much, and very ready and willing to do anything on board’. Both dressed as men whenever the crew came into combat and were often the ones urging their fellows onto greater acts of violence. It had been said that once, Anne covered a mannequin in red paint and stood over it, cutting such a fierce figure that the vessel they were attacking immediately surrendered.

The women’s bravery was never more apparent than when they made their final stand. By 1720, the William had become notorious and Woodes Rogers was desperate to hunt them down. A sloop belonging to privateer Captain Jonathan Barnet eventually caught up with them in November 1720 near Negril Point, Jamaica. The men of the crew had been drinking the night before and were too drunk to fight, many sleeping through the entire thing, so Mary and Anne were left alone on the deck to fend off their attackers. They both attempted – by way of shouting and swearing – to rouse the men; at one point, they fired down into the hold, killing one and wounding others. Still, it was not enough.

Of Anne, Johnson wrote, ‘no Body was more courageous than she’. Nevertheless, with just two defenders, the William was doomed. The pirates were all captured and taken to Spanish Town, Jamaica, where they were swiftly put on trial. The men were immediately convicted and sentenced to hang, but Anne and Mary ‘pleaded their bellies’ – that is to say, both were pregnant. They were both granted a stay of execution, though neither hanged in the end. 

She was continued in Prison, to the Time of her lying in, and afterwards reprieved from Time to Time; but what is become of her since, we cannot tell; only this we know, that she was not executed.

Charles Johnson’s final words on Anne Bonny in his 1724 book

Mary, tragically, died of a fever in prison just months after capture, but nothing is known about Anne’s fate other than she remained in prison until giving birth. She was allowed to visit Rackham once before he was executed, telling him, “I’m sorry to see you here, but if you had fought like a man you need not have hanged like a dog.”

Some accounts suggest that she reconciled with her father and he saved her from the noose. Others say that she remarried in Port Royal or Nassau and had several more children. Most put her death date at roughly 1782, meaning she lived into her 80s, but no one knows for sure.

Undoubtedly, the mystery surrounding Anne Bonny’s life contributes to her lasting legacy and standing. Though her career in piracy was short, she made her mark on history through her fierce character, and her status as one of just a handful of female pirates is the source of intrigue for many.

Sources:

• https://www.britannica.com/biography/Anne-Bonny
• https://www.thoughtco.com/biography-of-anne-bonny-2136375
• Johnson, Charles, (pseud) A General History of the Robberies and Murders of the most notorious Pyrates, (London: 1724)