Mary Read and Anne Bonny — Gender-Defying Pirates
Mary Read and Anne Bonny sailed as pirates aboard the ship of Captain 'Calico Jack' Rackham in the Caribbean. Both disguised themselves as men to serve at sea — a world entirely closed to women. Read had lived as a man from childhood, serving in the military and fighting in Flanders before turning to piracy. Bonny, who had abandoned conventional domestic life, was described by contemporaries as ferocious in combat. When their ship was captured in 1720, they were among the last crew members still fighting.
Impact & Significance
Read and Bonny became legendary examples of women who defied gender roles in one of the most male-dominated environments of the 18th century, and remain icons of gender non-conformity.
Reference Record
- Date
- c. 1718–1720
- Era
- 1800s
- Sources
- 1
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