Anne Bonny-Nasty Woman

Back in the days of the Golden Age of Piracy being a nasty woman was a job description and not a rallying cry, and one of the most infamous was Anne Bonny. Bonny was born Anne Cormac in 1697 in County Cork, Ireland. Her father, William Cormac was a lawyer. Her mother, Peg Brennan, a house maid her father had an affair with. When the scandal over his affair broke, Anne’s father sailed to Charlestown, South Carolina with Peg and Anne. Peg died from a fever, leaving Anne the woman in charge of her father’s successful plantation.

There are stories of a young Anne stabbing a servant girl with a knife and beating up a man who tried to rape her. She deified her father to elope with James Bonny. Her father, in turn, cut her off form his fortune. The penniless couple sailed to New Providence, Bahamas to seek their fortune.

It was there that Anne met Calico Jack Rackham. Calico Jack reportedly made an offer to James to buy Anne out of the marriage. James, upset that the offer was too low made a compliant to the governor, who threatened to have Anne whipped if she didn’t return to her husband. Fleeing the punishment the couple stole The William and embarked on their career. It is rumored that during her pirating days she took a leave to give birth in Cuba.

A career that ended when after a night of drinking Jack and the crew were too drunk to defend the ship. Despite the best efforts of Anne and her fellow pirate Mary Read, Captain Jonathan Barnet was able to take them prisoner.

There was no doubt from testimony given at her trail that Anne was an active member of her crew. Anne was described as being dressed as a man carrying a machete and pistol and it was noted that she acted as if she was there of her own free will. Both Anne and Mary escaped hanging because they were pregnant. While Mary died in prison, Anne is lost to history. Some speculate that her father was able to buy her freedom and the she went back to live with him in South Carolina.