The Life and Trial of Anne Bonny

The following is a guest post by Esther Markov, an intern working with Assistant Law Librarian of Congress for Legal Research Peter Roudik, in the Global Legal Research Directorate of the Law Library of Congress.

While looking through the digital collections of the Library of Congress, I was surprised to discover the Law Library’s own collection on piracy trials. It can be hard to find accurate sources on piracy history, yet there are 57 items in the collection, with documents going back to 1696. Looking through the collection made me think more about pirate history in general and the pirates I would be most interested in researching. I have always been interested in prominent women throughout history, wanting to learn about the women who paved the way before me. This interest has extended to female pirates and the reasons they became pirates. Anne Bonny is one such pirate.

The first mention of the pirate Anne Bonny comes from A General History of the Robberies and Murders of the most notorious Pyrates, written by Captain Johnson, a suspected alias of Daniel Defoe, in 1724. Johnson’s book is known for being both very popular and highly dramatized. However, his story did the job of bringing pirates into public view, many of whom are still talked about today, such as Anne Bonny herself. Anne is one of the most famous pirates in history, mainly due to her gender, although she was only a pirate for about two years. Anne was a pirate in the Caribbean during the end of the Golden Age of Piracy. Women during this time had few rights, but those on pirate ships were able to gain some level of freedom and equality. On pirate ships, many decisions were made by vote, and even the captain could be voted out. There was a quartermaster, who was second in command and could be a voice for the crew’s interests. There was also a written agreement or a pirate code, and the crews functioned as democracies. Due to the opportunities they provided for those not born into power, many pirates came from lower classes. While some ships believed that having women on board was bad luck, their genders could be easily disguised in loose clothing, and there are examples of hundreds of women who were pirates throughout history. (Tucker, 95.)

Anne Bonny was born Anne Cormac in Kinsale, Ireland, around 1698. Her father, William Cormac, was a lawyer, and her mother Mary was a maid in the family’s household. After their affair was discovered by William’s wife and she moved out, William moved Anne into the house with him, disguising her in boy’s clothes to hide her identity. After his wife found out that Anne was his daughter, however, William ended up moving Mary into the house as well and lived with her publicly. This caused a scandal, and as his reputation went down, he lost business. Since his law practice was suffering, he decided to move himself, Anne, and Mary to Charles Town, South Carolina. (Johnson, Chapter 7.)

In Charles Town, William switched to being a merchant and plantation owner. Mary died when Anne was a teenager, from typhoid fever. (Tucker, 32-35.) In 1718, Anne met the sailor James Bonny, and they got married. Her father disapproved and disowned her, and the two left for New Providence Island, in the Bahamas. Both Charles Town and New Providence were home to a lot of pirates. While in New Providence, Anne met the pirate Captain John Rackham, or “Calico Jack”, in 1719, and Anne and Rackham fell for each other. (Tucker 32-74.)

In 1720, Anne decided to join Rackham on his crew. She disguised herself as a man, dressing in men’s clothes and keeping her hair hidden under a hat. She gave herself the pirate name of Bonn, with which she signed the pirate agreement. The crew spent their time raiding ships and might have gotten away with it a little longer, had Rackham not ended up stealing the William to have as his new ship. The William was a British ship, and its capture earned the attention of Governor Woodes Rogers of the Bahamas. (Tucker, 89-145.)  Rackham had chosen to take the king’s pardon, available thanks to the Act of Grace issued in 1717, but decided to go back to pirating afterward nonetheless, which placed a bigger target on his back. (Johnson, Chapter 7.) Governor Rogers issued a proclamation on September 5, 1720, in which he listed the crew members by name, including the names of both Anne and Mary Read, another disguised female pirate that she had befriended, and described them as enemies of the crown. (Tucker, 145.) On November 15, 1720, in Negril Point, Jamaica, while having drinks with a group of English sailors they had invited aboard, Rackham’s ship was caught by Captain Jonathan Barnet, a privateer hired by Governor Rogers. Anne and Mary were the only ones on board to fight back and not hide below, and they were all captured, and thrown in jail.

The first trial for the pirates was held in St. Jago de la Vega, in Jamaica, on November 16, 1720. The trials were led by Sir Nicholas Lawes in an English Court of Admiralty. During the first trial, Rackham and eight of his fellow pirates were found guilty and sentenced to death. (Driscoll.) The trial was quick, as the pirates did not have legal representation, and there were witnesses brought in to testify against them. (Tucker, 191.) Before he was hanged, Rackham was given a chance to see Anne, who admonished him for not fighting back on the ship. He was executed at Gallows Point the next day, with his body being hung at Dead Man’s Cay from chains and displayed in public as a warning. The next couple of trials followed in the days afterward. A few lucky pirates were released by convincing the court that they were there against their will, but the English sailors were not so lucky and were hanged as pirates. (Driscoll.) The Piracy Act of 1721 later said that anyone caught conducting business or associating with a pirate would also be considered a pirate. (Tucker, 192-214.)

Anne and Mary’s combined trial was on November 28, 1720. It was highly publicized, because of them being female pirates. After they were brought in, their charges were read, listing the crimes that they were being charged with. When asked how they plead, they pleaded not guilty. (National Library of Jamaica, 15-18.) There was then a group of witnesses brought in against them, including Dorothy Thomas, who had witnessed the two of them in action as pirates, and said that they had attacked her in a canoe. (Driscoll.) All of the witnesses said that they saw the two participating in activities with the rest of the crew, while dressed in men’s clothes. At the end of the trial, the two were found guilty of engaging in piracy by unanimous vote and sentenced to death. However, after the sentence was announced, they revealed to the court that they were both pregnant and asked for their sentences to be delayed. After a doctor verified that they were in fact pregnant, their death sentences were postponed until after they gave birth. (National Library of Jamaica, 18-19.)

Mary Read became ill of typhus in prison, and died on April 28th, 1721, never having given birth. Anne was released at some point, and it is unclear what exactly happened to her afterward, although it is known that she was never executed. (Johnson, Chapter 7.) Anne’s father was well known after having saved his tarnish reputation by moving to Charles Town and had a good reputation again, so her release was likely thanks to his influence. As far as we know, she returned to Charles Town under an alias, likely to protect her identity and reputation. She remarried Joseph Burleigh, had more children, and lived out the rest of her life, dying in 1782. (Tucker, 219-223.)

There is no evidence of Anne ever killing anyone, and chances are that she was a fairly average pirate. However, because of the information available to us from the trial and stories passed down about her, it is equally likely that Anne was very brave and possibly fearsome. Yet, there is no way to know for sure, and the portrayals of her are widely ranging. The mystery only adds to the legend and her long-lasting legacy.

As mentioned above, the Law Library has its own collection on Piracy Trials and more information can be found here. The Library of Congress also has a research guide on the Golden Age of Piracy.

Sources:

• Daniel Defoe, D., & Charles Johnson, A General History of the Robberies and Murders of the most Notorious Pyrates (1724).
• S. Driscoll, Anne Bonny. Great Neck Publishing (2009).
• Philip Thomas Tucker, Anne Bonny the Infamous Female Pirate. Feral House. (2017)
• The Tryals of Captain John Rackham and Other Pirates (1712) available through: National Library of Jamaica (1721). Internet Archive. https://archive.org/details/the-tryals-of-captain-john-rackham/page/14/mode/2up

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