Jack Rackham was an English captain of the pirate ships who made his fortune by attacking other vessels in the 18th century. But his skill or cruelty didn’t make him as famous, although he was an active pirate, as did the connection to the two most notorious women pirates,
Anne Bonny and
Mary Read. He is also known as Calico Jack and the name represented his habit to dress in calico coats and trousers.
History doesn’t know much about his early life but it is believed that he was born in 1682 in London. First documented facts about his career as a pirate are related with the pirate James Vane on whose ship he served as a quarter master in 1718. When Vane attacked a ship that turned out to be a warship he showed no bravery so his crew pointed Rackham as a new captain and Vane was sent off in a small vessel with few loyal men from his crew. Calico Jack Rackham continued to sail for a few months invading and robbing small merchant ships but then decided to go to New Providence and end his career as a pirate because Governor Woodes Rogers was giving pardon to any pirate who wanted to receive one.
Here begins the new chapter in Rackham’s life because he met and had an affair with
Anne Bonny, a woman who was running a local tavern and was married at the time. She soon got pregnant and after giving the baby to some friends in Cuba, the two of them had to run away because Anne’s husband was furious and threatened their life. They set off together to a new adventure as pirates once again with Anne disguised as a man. For the next few months they were hunting and attacking small vessels, usually shipping boats and merchant ships and it was during this period they captured a ship where as a member of crew was another woman,
Mary Read. She joined Rackham’s crew and soon became very good friends with Anne, after they revealed their secret to one another.
They sailed and enjoyed the life of the pirates for short time. After Governor Rogers found out about Rackham’s return to piracy life he sent Captain Barret to end his career. In October 1720 near Jamaica Jack Rackham’s ship was attacked when the entire crew was drunk and unable to fight. Anne and Marry were the only ones who offered resistance and fought for a while but still they were outnumbered and defeated. The entire crew was arrested and taken to Jamaica where they were on trial for piracy. Rackham and his crew members were sentenced to death by hanging and he died on November 17, 1720. Anne and Mary managed to avoid the immediate death because they were both pregnant but soon Mary died in prison while Anne later escaped.
Jack Rackham would maybe be forgotten today if there were no women pirates who sailed with him. His wealth wasn’t large nor was his fleet and the last words he heard from Anne were: ‘‘If you had fought like a man, you need not be hanged like a dog’’…
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