#the tryals of john rackham and other pirates | Explore Tumblr posts and blogs

mutineerbay · 4 years ago

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In his two years of piracy, Stede Bonnet stood alongside some of the New World’s most notorious pirates, including Charles Vane, Charles Condent (also known as “Billy One-Hand”), Robert Deal, “Calico” John Rackham, Israel Hands, Benjamin Hornigold, William Kidd, Mary Read, Anne Bonny, and the pirate to whom Bonnet will forever be connected, Edward Thatch (infamously known worldwide as “Blackbeard”). It was Stede Bonnet who gave Blackbeard command of his first significant ship, the Revenge, and it was also Bonnet who sailed with Blackbeard through the famous blockade of Charleston. It was also Bonnet who hung at the gallows of Charleston only weeks after Blackbeard was killed by mercenaries sent by the Virginia government. Through Bonnet’s brief exploits, he was able to amass a fortune worth almost $5.5 million in today’s dollars, putting him as the 15th highest-earning pirate according to a 2008 Forbes magazine article. Obviously different from the rest, Bonnet is affectionately known as the “Gentleman Pirate” and “was generally esteemed and honored,” “rather pitied than condemned,” even after he “broke out into open Acts of Piracy.” Even after his capture and death sentence, his capturer, Colonel William Rhett, offered to escort Bonnet to England for purposes of an appeal or pardon. Even with a sparce historical record for many pirates, collections of original source documents are beginning to make there way onto the internet in scanned and translated form. One of the most significant resources in studying the life of Major Stede Bonnet is Bonnet’s trial transcript, which still survives in published form today. Originally published in London in 1719 as The Tryals of Major Stede Bonnet, and Other Pirates, the court transcript was supplemented with a preface describing the capture of Bonnet and his ship, Revenge, along with several appendices containing witness depositions and statements used by the prosecution at trial. Recently, the Library of Congress digitized The Tryals, making the transcript available online, in searchable format, for viewing or download. https://www.instagram.com/p/CMH4JcwjuHy/?igshid=14hpd9lbux3yz

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amphibious-thing · 2 years ago

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Bonny & Read: Sapphic Pirates?

Anne Bonny and Mary Read were two female pirates that sailed with John Rackham aka Calico Jack. In 1720 Rackham and his crew were captured and tried for piracy. Bonny & Read’s trial was held on Monday the 28th of November 1720. They were found guilty and sentenced to death. They both pled that they were “quick with Child” and their executions were stayed. Read died in prison. Bonny’s fate has been somewhat of a historical mystery. However there is a record of an “Ann Bonny” being buried on the 29th of December 1733 in the St Catherine’s Parish register.

The most accurate information we have them comes from the witness testimonies published in 1721 in The Tryals of Captain John Rackham, and Other Pirates.

Bonny and Read famously wore mens clothes. Dorothy Thomas testified that they “wore Mens Jackets, and long Trouzers, and Handkerchiefs tied about their Heads; and that each of them had a Machet and Pistol in their Hands”. However it seems they were not, at least during this period, passing as men. Rather they seem to have worn mens clothes during battle presumably for practical reasons. John Besneck and Peter Cornelian recall that “when they say any Vessel, gave Chase, or Attacked, they wore Men’s Cloaths; and, at other Times, they wore Women’s Cloaths”.

Bonny and Read were ruthless, possibly more so than the men on Jack’s crew. John Besneck and Peter Cornelian declared “they were very active on Board, and willing to do any Thing”. Thomas Dillon recalls “they were both very profligate, cursing and swearing much, and were ready and willing to do any Thing on Board.” Dorothy Thomas testified that they “cursed and swore at the Men” that “they should kill her, to prevent her coming against them”.

Most of the famous story of Bonny & Read actually comes from A General History of the Pyrates by Captain Charles Johnson (most likely a pseudonym) published in 1724 as well as it’s 1725 adaption The History and Lives Of all the most Notorious Pirates, and their Crews. It’s unclear where Johnson got a lot of his information from and it’s likely his biographies are heavily fictionalised.

In contrast to the witness testimonies A General History of the Pyrates tells us that Bonny and Read were passing as men on Jack’s crew:

Her [Read’s] Sex was not so much as suspected by any Person on Board, till Anne Bonny, who was not altogether so reserved in point of Chastity, took a particular liking to her; in short, Anne Bonny took her for a handsome young Fellow, and for some Reasons best known to herself, first discovered her Sex to Mary Read; Mary Read knowing what she would be at, and being very sensible of her own Incapacity that Way, was forced to come to a right Understanding with her, and so to the great Disappointment of Anne Bonny, she let her know she was a Woman also; but this Intimacy so disturb'd Captain Rackam, who was the Lover and Gallant of Anne Bonny, that he grew furiously jealous, so that he told Anne Bonny, he would cut her new Lover's Throat, therefore, to quiet him, she let him into the Secret also.

Far from becoming lovers Johnson tells us that Bonny is disappointed to discover Read’s sex and that Read went on to fall in love with and marry a male crew member, explaining the circumstance of her pregnancy during the trial.

However published just a year latter The History and Lives Of all the most Notorious Pirates, and their Crews tells the story a little differently. According to this version of the story Read “entered into the Service of the Privateer purely upon the Account of Anne Bonny, who was her Lover;”

before I go any further, it will not be improper to give a Narrative of the Courtship between Anne Bonny and Mary Read. They were both in love with one another, but did not know how to discover their Sex, till Anne Bonny at length being able to hold out no longer, discovered herself, saying, She was a Woman who had long observed the Bravery and Courage of Mary Read, and that she could no longer conceal her Passion, therefore she hoped that her Forwardness in addressing would no be look’d upon as Impudence, because she had no other way of discovering her Sex, or making herself known to her; so hanging about her Neck, she stole two or three Kisses, and fainted away. This did not a little surprize Mary Read, who was exactly in the same Condition herself, in Love and Affection: Not knowing what to do in the Matter, after recovering Anne Bonny, and speaking some kind Things to her, she gave her to understand, that she was also a Woman herself, and had always had the same Affection for her as she seem’d to express. They both seemed uneasy at their Disappointments, yet pleas’d in their Minds that they had made such an unlucky Discovery: However they established a Friendship that continued between them to the last. This gave some Uneasiness to Capt. Rackam, he being a Lover of Anne Bonny’s, and not able to bear a Rival with him in the Ship, especially where Women were so scarce: For Anne Bonny was not one of the most honest Women in the World, tho’ Mary Read bore a quite different Character: So Rackam storm’d and thunder’d as if the Ship was going to be rent in Pieces, what he would do to Mary Read; he would cut her Throat, [by] marry would he, and more too, if ever he saw her speak to Anne Bonny. To pacify this Son of Belial’s Fury, she let him into the Secret, who was as much surprized as any of them. By this Discovery Anne Bonny had like to have lost her Captain, had not Mary Read’s Virtue been greater than her Cunning; for the Captain, like most Sons of Mars, was for a new Face, presently beginning to neglect his old Mistress Anne. This gave great Uneasiness to her, till Mary Read assured her she should have no occasion upon that account. However the Capt. furiously attacks her with Oaths and Curses of his Sincerity, as fast as he was used to shoot Balls from his Cannons; but all would not [go], the Captain could not board her, and so was compelled to lye by, and keep it a Secret for his own Reputation.

Much like in A General History of the Pyrates Read goes on to fall in love with and marry a male crew member.

It’s in this likely fictionalised book that the love story of Anne Bonny and Mary Read is born. It’s impossible to say with any certainty whether the real Bonny and Read were a couple because we frankly don’t really know much about them. But these early books on pirates set the scene for the centuries of pirate mythology that followed and historically accurate or not this story is part of that mythology.

#anne bonny #mary read #queer history

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