Anne Bonny
Anne Bonny (late 17th century – disappeared after 28 November 1720), sometimes Ann Fulford, was an Irish pirate operating in the Caribbean, and one of the few female pirates in recorded history. What little that is known of her life comes largely from Captain Charles Johnson's 1724 book A General History of the Pyrates.
Anne Bonny | |
|---|---|
Bonny from the 1725 Dutch translation of Charles Johnson's book of pirates | |
| Born | c. late 17th century near Cork, Kingdom of Ireland |
| Died | Unknown; last recorded appearance in 1720 |
| Piratical career | |
| Type | Pirate |
| Allegiance | Calico Jack |
| Years active | August 1720 – October 1720 |
| Base of operations | Caribbean |
Bonny was born in Ireland at an unknown date, and later moved to London and then to the Province of Carolina. Around 1718 she married sailor James Bonny, assumed his last name, and moved with him to Nassau in the Bahamas, a sanctuary for pirates. It was there that she met Calico Jack Rackham and became his pirate partner and lover. She was captured alongside Rackham and Mary Read in October 1720. All three were sentenced to death, but Bonny and Read had their executions stayed because both of them were pregnant. Read died of a fever in jail in April 1721 (likely due to complications from the pregnancy), but Bonny's fate is unknown.