Little, if anything, is known about the early life of Calico Jack Rackam. He got his name from his habit of wearing fresh white calico underwear or possibly bright calico outerwear. His date of birth, or even where he was born, is not recorded. He first entered history on board Pirate Captain Charles Vane's ship, The Treasure.

In November, 1718, The Treasure encountered a French man-o-war in the Windward Passage. Rackham and others of the crew wanted to attack the frigate, but Vane considered it too heavily armoured. Rackham promptly mutinied and Vane, with a handful who supported him, were put to sea in a small boat. Rackham attacked the French vessel and won. This was the first, and probably the last grand deed of Rackham's career.

Rackham spent most of the next few years attacking merchant vessels and small unarmed ships rather than well armed Spanish galleons. The rest of the time he pursued those other Pirate pastimes of drinking, eating and wenching!

In 1719 he received a King's Pardon and sailed to New Providence (Nassau) in the Bahamas. There he joined the crew of Capt. Burgess, a privateer, and sailed the Main hunting Spanish ships.

His page in history, and his early death, were about to be cemented. In the Bahamas he met and fell in love with a married woman, Anne Bonney.

As was to be expected Mr Bonney did not take kindly to this. Some accounts say he dragged his wife naked in front of the Governor to be flogged in public. Just like in the best movies, Jack stole a sloop, rescued Anne and they escaped to sea.

Fearing that the crew would not accept a woman on board, Anne donned men's clothing and took the name of Adam Bonney. For the next few years she fought alongside Jack and even led the crew when Jack was too drunk to stand.

Calico Jack's ensign

Anne Bonney

Anne Cormac was born in County Cork, Ireland sometime about 1700. She was the daughter of a wealthy lawyer/landowner and his maid. To avoid scandal the family emigrated to Charleston in America where Mr Cormac amassed a fortune.

Anne was the original tomboy, her hair cut short and untidy clothes. There are many stories, whether fact or legend, of her beating up boys and even interested suitors as she grew older. At some point she became interested in a ne'er-do-well called James Bonney, who was probably after her father's fortune. When her father refused permission for the marriage, legend says Anne set fire to the plantation and eloped with Bonney to the Bahamas.

Some stories say that she had started to associate with pirates before she met Rackham. She was reputed to dress in velvet breeches & other finery made for her by a gay dressmaker friend.

Anne apparently had more of the Pirate nature than Jack and led many raids when Jack was sleeping off his over indulgence in rum. Anne also had a habit of seducing members of the crew and other men who came across her path. So when a youngster called Mark Read joined their crew Anne set her sights on him.

Mary Read was born in Plymouth, England in about 1690. Her father abandoned the family when Mary's mother was pregnant. The baby boy died and at some point Mary's mother started dressing her as a boy and pretending she was the dead brother. She did this to gain financial assistance from her mother-in-law who disliked girls. But even after her grandmother died, Mary continued to dress as a boy. She took several "male" jobs and even joined the crew of a warship.

At some point she fell in love with a man and actually started to dress in women's clothing for the first time. Her husband died shortly after they got married and Mary returned to her men's clothing and work. She joined the crew of a Dutch ship. Fate decreed that this ship would be captured by The Vanity, Jack and Anne's pirate vessel.

Once the Dutch vessel was captured, Mark was quite willing to join the crew of the Vanity where "he" soon caught the eye of the lascivious Anne. It was very quickly discovered that Mark was Mary. The two became fast friends. History does not record how close the "friendship" was but it is quite possible that the two women and Jack shared more than the leadership of the Vanity.

There then came a very short time when the Vanity became the most feared pirate ship on the seas. Captain Jonathan Barnett, the most successful pirate hunter, was given orders to find and capture Calico Jack and his crew at all costs.
 

Mary Read

On October 5th 1720, The House of Assembly received word that Capt Barnett had captured the pirates. Jack and his crew had successfully sacked a Spanish merchant ship and were drinking and carousing in Negril (yes, you read that correctly) when Capt Barnett discovered them. Of course, at that time Negril was a mangrove swamp far removed from civilisation where any pirate had the right to feel perfectly safe.

The pirates were carried in chains to the House of Assembly for trial. At that time it was discovered that the only two who had put up any resistance to Barnett were actually women! Jack and the rest of his men were reported to have been passed out on their ship. History records that crowds from across the Island gathered in front of the courthouse to try and see "the Hell-Cats".

Rackham tried to deal with the authorities, promising to reform but that had happened before and he'd gone back to piracy. He promised to give himself up if the Court was lenient on the women but that didn't work for, after all, he was already in chains. He and his men were condemned to death on November 17th and transported to Gallows Point in Port Royal where they are hanged. His body was then taken down, tarred and hung in an iron cage on Deadman's Cay off Port Royal as a warning to other pirates. It is reported that as he was led to the gallows, Anne shouted to him "If you had fought like a man you would not be hanged like a dog!"

Anne and Mary were also tried and sentenced to hang. However, they both claimed to be pregnant and were granted a stay of execution. Mary died in prison of a fever but Anne disappears from history. It is popularly thought that her father forgave her and ransomed her and she returned home with him. Though she might have escaped and returned to the High Seas.....

Even now, when Sunday boating parties set sail from Port Royal for a day at the Cays, very few if any, will end up having a picnic on Rackham Cay.