THE DARK TALE OF ANNE BONNY

By: Serafina Jaffer, IST, Dar es Salaam, Tanzania.

In Ireland, a beautiful baby girl was born in 1689 to William Cormac and Mary Brennan, his servant. This did not please William’s wife, who left him. To avoid scandal, William dressed Anne as a boy and told everyone she was a relative’s son. The truth quickly spilled and William’s business suffered, so they moved to South Carolina.

On a cold night in 1711, Anne lost her mother to typhoid fever, and her life took a dark turn. She grew violent and hot-tempered, even stabbing one of her father’s servants. William tried to marry her off to wealthy men, but in 1718 Anne eloped with a sailor, John Bonny. They set sail for New Providence, Bahamas, to start a new life. John, working for Governor Woods Rogers, despised pirates and spent his days hunting them for bounties.

So what’s so good about being a pirate, Booty? Talking parrots? Mermaids? In truth, a pirate’s day was filled with violence, murder, and torture. They looted ships and marooned survivors on deserted islands. Yet, many practised democracy, splitting loot evenly. On merchant ships, a captain might take 15 shares, but a pirate captain only took 2.

Spending her hours at  saloons, Anne was befriending the very same pirates her husband was out fighting. She was delighted by their company, and it was there she met Calico Jack. Jack was famous for his dashing and attractive demeanour and quickly fell for Anne. He tried to bribe John multiple times to divorce Anne, but being the loyal husband he was, he refused. Though it wouldn't matter as Jack and Anne would leave for the sea together, looking for adventure.

In 1720, she stole a fast ship which held six guns. Female pirates were rare, as many believed a woman on board brought bad luck. But Anne, being the ‘civilised’ woman she was, stabbed a pirate who protested and threw him overboard. Another woman soon joined, Mary Reed. She dressed as a man, but her bond with Anne was strong. In just a month, Anne and her crew captured nine ships and plenty of loot, including 50 rolls of tobacco. Like Mary, Anne sometimes dressed as a man to intimidate her enemies.

After gaining a reputation, Anne and her crew caught the attention of Governor Woods, who sent Captain Jonathan Barnett after them. By the late 1720s, Barnett found them near Negril Point, Jamaica, and ordered them to surrender. Jack gave in, but Anne and Mary fought until capture. The men were sentenced to hang, and the women too, until both were found pregnant. Mary died of fever in 1721, but Anne was later freed. She returned to South Carolina, remarried, had eight children, and lived to 84, passing peacefully in 1782..