Anne Bonny - The pirate Queen
- dafnahara
- Nov 11, 2024
- 3 min read
Good morning, cloud-walkers, dreamers, and otherkins! I finally managed to have some time on my computer, and my head is filled with all the topics I want to share with you. But one, in particular, is occupying most of my thoughts! I'll do my best to clue you in on one of the most powerful female figures in history - Anne Bonny, a notorious pirate! Hopefully, more will follow about famous pirates and supposed villains. I believe you will enjoy this one! Have fun, sweeties!
Anne Bonny was born around 1698 in Ireland near Cork, and she possibly died in 1782 in Charles Towne, which today is Charleston, South Carolina. Because her death is shrouded in mystery, her disappearance took place at the end of November 1720. Although she raided the Caribbean for a relatively short period, her name is legendary. The majority of information about Anne Bonny derives from "A General History of the Robberies and Murders of the Most Notorious Pyrates," written in 1724 by Captain Charles Johnson, who scholars believe was the English writer Daniel Defoe. It is an unreliable source concerning historians, but I have to mention it nonetheless. Even the names of Anne's parents may be taken from a romance novel "Mistress of the Seas" written in 1964.
She was the illegitimate child of an Irish attorney, William Cormac, and his household maid. He was divorced by his wife after the news of his unfaithfulness was discovered, and he then assumed custody of Anne. The three of them lived together until he lost his clients because of his 'unworthy actions', and the family moved to Charles Towne in Carolina. Anne's mother died when she was 13 years old of typhus. From public records, nothing can be found on the name Anne Bonny, and some believe she was not even Irish because the name is English.
Anne met and married a sailor, James Bonny. At some point, without a specific date at hand, she traveled to the Bahamas where she met the pirate John Rackham, commonly known as Calico Jack. Rumors have it that there was a romance between them. She joined his crew, together with Mary Read, another famous female pirate we will definitely look into in a future article. In the "General History," a romance between Anne and another member of the crew is mentioned, drawing the jealousy of Calico Jack, only to be later revealed that it was Mary Read in disguise. They raided many merchant ships in the West Indies and finally got caught in October 1720 after Governor Rogers' proclamation on the 5th of September 1720, mentioning Anne Bonny along with all of John Rackham's crew. The male crew was tried and killed under sentence, except Anne and Mary who claimed to be pregnant. While Mary died in prison, Anne disappeared and her fate is unknown. Her career in piracy was only two months brief, but her legacy is huge mostly because she was a woman. She soon became a popular figure in novels and plays and enjoyed fame within only a decade after her capture. All major female pirate figures up to our day derive from Anne Bonny, who was depicted at some point as a red-haired woman.
I will share with you a couple of musical findings about Anne Bonny. The lore is vast, but unfortunately historically unreliable. However, we always trust our instincts and imagination to go further.
I have to admit that I have always had a thing for female pirate figures, mostly from "Pirates of the Caribbean" and especially "Cutthroat Island" with Geena Davis in 1995, who amazingly portrayed the notorious, powerful, and viciously cunning female pirate figure!
Recently, I came across the works of Karliene, a very talented songwriter and singer. Among her works is an entire album, a concept album titled "The Legend of Anne Bonny," released in 2020. The following tracks are my favorites, and if you are a fan of good ol' pirate tales, I strongly suggest it!
Have fun, mates, and... AHOY!
Hara Dafna
Sources:
"A General History of Pyrates" - Daniel Dafoe 1724
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