Despite her minimum efforts with her appearance, this tomboy was stunningly attractive. Anne had the porcelain skin of the Irish, as well as a beautiful head of thick, red curly hair she refused to tie up, so it draped her face and shoulders like a lion’s mane. A story in The Pirate’s Own Book, 1837, reports that Anne once attacked a young man who tried to have his way with her. She assaulted him so violently that he was bed ridden for weeks.

Although the girl had many eligible men trying to court her, she was not interested in settling down. By the time she was nineteen, William Cormac took matters into his own hands and arranged for his daughter to marry a prominent member of the community. For a young woman who didn’t want to answer to anyone and longed for great adventure and excitement, this prospect must have seemed like a lifelong prison sentence. Unable to bear the thought of having to stay in Charleston betrothed to this stolid fellow her father had chosen for her, she eloped with a young sailor she’s been seeing on the sly, James Bonny.
The union was definitely more about freedom than true love.

Anne saw the sailor as her way out of the restrictive social setting of Charleston, and as an opportunity to see the world on her own terms.

Unfortunately, Anne quickly became bored with her husband. As a matter of fact, she was pursuing other options when she was seen by pirate Jack Rackham in Nassau on New Providence. He was there in hopes of obtaining the king’s pardon, but got distracted from his mission when he saw Anne Bonny. The instant he laid eyes on the wild redheaded woman, “Calico Jack” Rackham fell head over heels in love. His feelings were reciprocated by Anne. For the first time in her life, Anne Bonny discovered the real meaning of love.

Rackham tried to get Anne’s husband to divorce her by offering him a large sum of money, but James Bonny refused the money and proclaimed he would never let his wife go. He even went so far as revealing Anne’s infidelity to the governor. Under the governor’s threat of official recrimination for their adulterous actions, Anne and Calico Jack stole a ship, assembled a crew, and set sail, not telling anyone their destination.

Anne probably found further excitement in the charade of having to concea l her identity by dressing as a man, since women weren’t allowed to crew or even be aboard pirate ships. More importantly, it would have diminished Rackham’s authority if he had blatantly brought a woman on as part of the crew. It probably wasn’t as difficult as one might think to pull off this
sham-the clothes were loose fitting, and boys were employed as powder monkeys. Without make-up and with her hair put up under a hat, Anne could have passed f or one of these lads, without close scrutiny.

The pair continued the deception for months. During this time, they managed to successfully assault and raid some small merchant ships. However, in 1720 something happened that nearly ended their relationship. Rackham overtook a Dutch merchant ship, captured the crew, and forced them into servitude. Anne Bonny began spending a great deal of time with one of the new pirates. Calico Jack often spotted them huddled together, whispering.

Jealously besieged Rackham. In a rage, he confronted Anne and the English pirate, promising to kill both for their indiscretions. Anne was forced to tell Calico Jack the truth. She divulged that the man he thought she was carrying on with was nothing more than a friend, a very good friend. Anne then formally introduced her new best friend. “Jack, I’d like you to meet Miss Mary Read!”

Shortly after this, the women abandoned their disguises, but not the manly clothing. Having proven themselves to be more adept than most male pirates, their revelation was well received. But, just as they were accepted as female buccaneers, Anne found out she was pregnant and had to be taken to Cuba to have the baby. If Calico Jack hinted that Anne could stay in Cuba to raise the child, Anne must have quickly told him otherwise, for she was back on board within a few weeks...All that was important to Anne was the freedom of being a pirate because it was a great outlet for her untamed spirit. It was one of her happiest days when she was once again part of Captain Jack Rackham’s pirate crew. Little did she or any of them know that the high times they had shared were behind them...

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