Mary Read

Lore & Background

Mary Read's early life is largely unknown. No primary source, including her own trial's transcript, mentions her age or nation of origin. Possible suspects include a Mary Read born in Bristol around May 1681, whose father John became a Madagascar pirate before dying. Another possibility is the Mary Read who signed the Breholt Petition in 1708, one of 48 names collected by writer Penelope Aubin. Whether the pirate Mary Read was one of these two women, none, or both is unclear. All details concerning Read's early life stem from Captain Charles Johnson's *A General History of the Pyrates*, a greatly unreliable series of pirate biographies. Johnson claimed Read was born in London, dressed as a boy in childhood, joined the military, and later moved to the West Indies. According to Johnson, she fell in love with a Flemish soldier, married him, and they acquired an inn named The Three Horseshoes near Breda Castle in the Netherlands. No known inn near Breda was recorded under that name. After her husband died, she boarded a ship bound for the West Indies, which was attacked by pirates, and she chose to join them.

In Their Own Story

When Mary Read arrived on New Providence in the Bahamas is unclear, but it was likely before 1720. While living in Nassau, she met John Rackham. On 22 August 1720, Read, Rackham, and Anne Bonny, together with about a dozen other pirate crewmembers, stole the sloop *William* from merchant John Ham in Nassau harbor. The crew spent months in the West Indies attacking merchant ships. On 5 September 1720, Governor Woodes Rogers put out a proclamation demanding the arrest of Rackham and his associates, naming Mary Read and Anne Bonny. A victim of the pirates, Dorothy Thomas of Jamaica, described Read and Bonny's appearance during their trial: they "wore men's jackets, and long trousers, and handkerchiefs tied about their heads: and ... each of them had a machete and pistol in their hands and they cursed and swore at the men to murder her." Thomas knew they were women "from the largeness of their breasts." On 22 October 1720, former privateer Captain Jonathan Barnet took Rackham's crew by surprise while they drank punch with turtlers near Negril Point off Jamaica. The *William*'s boom was knocked down, and Rackham and the crew surrendered immediately, requesting "quarter." Nobody was killed in the engagement. Rackham and his crew were tried and sentenced to hang, as were Read and Bonny. However, the women claimed they were both "quick with child" and received temporary stays of execution. In all likelihood, Read was not pregnant and merely lied to extend her life.

Reader's Guide

Read died while in prison in April 1721. The cause of her death is unknown. Johnson claims she died from a fever. Gaol fever was particularly common among prisoners due to unsanitary conditions. Her burial on 28 April is in the burial records of Saint Catherine Parish. She was likely buried at the cathedral of St. Jago Del La Vega, near the prison. It's impossible to say exactly when Read died, although April 27th or 28th is plausible. There is no record of the burial of her baby, suggesting she may have died while pregnant, or perhaps never had been pregnant. Despite a career of only 61 days, Mary Read is among the most famous pirates in recorded history, primarily due to her gender. Within a decade, Read-inspired characters were already appearing, such as Polly in John Gay's 1729 ballad opera *Polly*. In the 19th century, literature like Charles Ellms' *Pirates Own Book* discussed Read at length. For the Victorian era, Read was far more popular than Bonny. By the 21st century, Read had fallen in popularity compared to Bonny. Since 1725, some writers have claimed Mary Read was the lesbian lover of Anne Bonny, but this was never stated in the trial transcript or newspapers, and only appears in highly suspect sources.

Did You Know?

• Mary Read's career as a pirate lasted only 61 days.
• Read and Anne Bonny were named in Governor Woodes Rogers' proclamation of 5 September 1720 demanding their arrest.
• Dorothy Thomas testified at trial that Read and Bonny wore men's jackets and long trousers, each carrying a machete and pistol, and that she knew they were women 'from the largeness of their breasts.'
• Read's burial on 28 April 1721 is recorded in the burial records of Saint Catherine Parish, likely at the cathedral of St. Jago Del La Vega.
• No primary source, including Read's own trial transcript, mentions her age or nation of origin.