Above is a woodcut of Jack Racham, also known as Calico Jack. Jack had a wife named Anne Bonney. Anne was a native of Cork, Ireland. It was thought that Jack's single days were spent on the island of Cuba, where he had many ladies who gave him their favor. Jack Rackam was originally a quartermaster in Captain Vane's pirate company. He later challenged Vane and was voted the new captain.
Unlike other nastier pirates, Jack was not recorded as using torture or murder. Calico Jack was only a small-time pirate. He used a modest sloop and only attacked small scale fishing boats and local trading ships. John met Anne Bonney (her married name) in New Providence in May 1719. Jack was offered amnesty by the Governor ot the Bahamas. He and his shipmates were given a Royal Pardon and gave up their pirate lives for a time.
New Providence was located close to major American and Caribbean trade routes. The island had a good natural harbor where large warships could not enter. This pirate's haven was the capital of the British Bahamas, and a small town was named Nassau in 1695. Until 1717, local governors accepted bribes to leave pirates alone. Edward Teach, Charles Vane, Jack Racham, and Benjamin Hornigold used this island as their base port. Then newly appointed governor, Woodes Rogers was appointed to replace the old officials and he arrived with three warships. Many pirates fled, and Charles Vane fired on the Governor as he sailed off. A man named Hornigold was appointed as pirate hunter and many pirates were put to death by hanging.
When Jack Calico met Anne Bonney, he wanted her to sail away from her husband and he went back to piracy as did she. When Anne was pregnant, Jack took her ashore in Cuba and their child was born there. Then Anne rejoined him at sea dressed as a man. Anne Bonny met Mary Read (another female crew member dressed as a man). Anne and Mary had a strong attraction to each other and confessed they were both women.
In the summer of 1720, they all returned to New Providence. While leaving they stole the sloop William from Nassau harbor.
After this John and his company were all declared Pirates and Enemies of the Crown of Great Britain.
The Governor, Captain Woodes Rodgers, had himself been a privateer from 1708-1711. In 1718 he was commissioned to rid the Bahamas of the pirates.
Since Jack Racham's pardon resulted in his returning to a life of crime, he was given no more chances. He was captured and hanged by the neck until dead. His body hung from the Nassau waterfront beneath the ramparts of the fort. Before his hanging, Jack and ten male crew members were tried in the courts, and on November 28th, Anne and Mary Read were tried.
Their trials were held in Spanish Town, Jamaica (then known as St. Jago de la Vega) in early November 1720.
What is interesting is that Anne and Mary had similar childhoods. Both were brought up as boys. Anne was the illegitimate daughter of a lawyer. Her mother worked as a maid in the lawyer's house. When the lawyer's wife learned of his affair with her maid, she accused her of stealing some silver spoons and she went to prison. Anne's father was enraged and he had Anne live with him as a boy, to avoid scandal. His "boy" was referred to as a lawyer's clerk. When again the wife learned of the real parentage of this boy, she stopped her husband from giving her and her mother money. Then Anne's father booked passage for his mistress and child and headed abroad. He sailed to the Carolinas. He then made money as a merchant and eventually bought his family a plantation. However, he did not approve of Anne's choice in husbands since Bonney was a penniless seaman.
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