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Read Mary
(c.1690—1721)

Mary Read was an English pirate. She was born in London to the widow of a sea captain. When Mary's older brother, the legitimate child in the family, died, Mary's mother began to disguise her as a boy, so as not to lose the financial support the child received from his paternal grandmother. The grandmother was apparently fooled, and Read and her mother lived on the inheritance into her teenage years. Still dressed as a boy, Read then found work as a footboy but became bored with the position and instead found employment aboard a ship.

However, excessive amounts of abuse led her to jump ship and join the British military. Read proved herself through battle and fell in love with a fellow sailor. She and the sailor married and, with his military commission, opened an inn named "The Three Horseshoes".

For the first time in her life, Read lived life as a woman. She and her new husband lived happily until his tragic death, at which time Read again returned to military service disguised as a man, using her husband's clothes. But the military had lost its spark to Read, so she quit and boarded a ship bound for the West Indies.

While at sea, Read's ship was attacked and captured by the notorious pirate "Calico" Jack Rackham and his companion, the female pirate Anne Bonny.

Read, still dressed as a man, was soon recruited to Rackham's crew where she became familiar with Bonny. She and Bonny became close companions, and one day Bonny walked in on Read undressing and thus accidentally discovered her secret. Although Charles Johnson in A General History of the Pyrates indicates that at first their companionship was of a romantic nature, it is not known if this is indeed a fact.[1] The two women did quickly become close friends, and Bonny swore not to reveal that Read was really a woman. However, Read's true gender did not remain hidden for long. Rackham became suspicious of Bonny's close relationship with the new sailor and demanded an explanation, whereupon Read confessed that she was actually a woman, and proved this fact to him by revealing her breasts. Rackham allowed her to stay on as a member of his crew.

Mary Read fell in love with one of the pirates. But that pirate got in a quarrel with another more experienced and older pirate and set a duel for the next day. Mary, knowing that her lover stood no chance against him, started a quarrel with the older man and challenged him to a duel that would take place before the pending duel with her lover.
During the subsequent duel the older man stumbled during a thrust. Mary reportedly ripped her shirt open, revealing her gender. The pirate hesitated and in that moment of his hesitation, Mary quickly grabbed his cutlass and killed him. Incidentally, Mary's lover showed up on time for his duel.

In October 1720, the troops of pirate hunter Captain Barnet took them by surprise, and captured Rackham and his crew on behalf of the governor of Jamaica. Rackham and the majority of his crew were extremely drunk, and didn't put up much resistance, many being passed out in the ship's hold. Read and Bonny, however, did resist. But outgunned, their resistance did not last long.

Rackham and his crew were sentenced to hang for acts of piracy, but Read and Bonny both "pled their bellies" (claimed to be pregnant) and received a stay of execution. It is unknown whether they were really pregnant or if they invented the story to delay their executions, but according to the latest History Channel documentary, airing July 9, 2006, it is now believed that both women were in fact pregnant. Read was believed to have been pregnant by either Captain Jack Rackham or an unknown pirate who was a love interest and member of Rackham's crew. Bonny was believed to have been pregnant by either her long time lover Captain Jack Rackham, or by Doctor Michael Radcliff, a former victim of one of their raids who was saved from death by Bonny.

Read died in early 1721 while in prison, either by fever or during child birth. Bonny disappeared from the historical record, possibly having been bought out of prison by her wealthy and prominent father.

Grenada, 1970, Mary Red

Guinea Bissau, 2009, Pirates

Jamaica, 1971, Mary Read, Anne Bonny and trial pamphlet

Turks & Caicos, 1985, Mary Read and Anne Bonney

Virgin Islands, 1970, Mary Read