Nat Geo continues its documentary series, “Pirates: Behind the Legends,” exploring the lives of two formidable female pirates, Anne Bonny and Mary Read. Airing on Saturday, June 29th, at 9:00 PM, the program tells the stories of these women who defied societal norms during the Golden Age of Piracy.
Anne Bonny, born in Ireland in 1698, was likely the illegitimate child of a lawyer and his maidservant. With a fierce temperament and headstrong nature, she married a poor sailor in 1718, causing a rift with her father. She and her husband relocated to the Bahamas in search of work. Mary Read, on the other hand, is believed to have been born in England and began presenting as a boy at a young age to receive inheritance money. This led to her joining the British military, and she later married. Following her husband’s death, she moved to the West Indies around 1715.
What sets these women apart is their presence aboard pirate ships, a highly unusual occurrence as women were considered bad omens. Around 1720, Mary Read joined Jack Rackham’s crew, presenting as a man, alongside Anne Bonny. Rackham’s decision to include them may have been influenced by Bonny’s fierce character. While Bonny was open about her gender to her shipmates, she donned male attire during raids and actively engaged in battles. Read, too, had served as a mercenary in disguise and maintained her male persona aboard Rackham’s vessel.
Pirates: Behind the Legends – Anne Bonny and Mary Read airs on Nat Geo on Saturday, June 29, at 9:00 PM.
