Anne Bonny, Irish American pirate whose brief period of marauding the Caribbean during the 18th century enshrined her in legend as one of the few to have defied the proscription against female pirates.
What was Anne Bonny’s childhood like?It is believed that Anne Bonny was born near Cork, Ireland, but this, like most information about her life, is regarded as speculation. She and her parents may have moved to Charles Towne, Carolina, when she was a child, and she may have left home after rejecting her father’s choice of a suitor for her.How did Anne Bonny become famous?In 1720 Anne Bonny and John (“Calico Jack”) Rackham stole a ship and began a campaign of piracy. For several months Bonny, Rackham, and crew (which included fellow female pirate Mary Read) plundered merchant ships and fishing boats in the Caribbean.Why is Anne Bonny significant?Female pirates were exceedingly rare, partly because many captains believed that women were bad luck on a ship. Both Anne Bonny and Mary Read acquitted themselves well, however. When a British privateer captured their vessel, only they put up any effective resistance against the boarding party.
Anne Bonny [a ] (likely died December 1733) [5 ] was a pirate who served under John Rackham. Amongst the few recorded female pirates in the Golden Age of Piracy, [6 ] she has become one of the most recognized pirates of the era, as well as…