"According to witness testimonies that eventually landed them at a courthouse in Jamaica in 1720, they were more ruthless and deadly than their male counterparts; they shot their rifles whenever they felt like it; and, in some cases, they fought topless."
"Bonny and Read were born at the end of the 17th century, and hailed from Ireland and England (respectively). According to some records, Bonny was the illegitimate child of Lord William Cormac and his house servant, and the three of them moved to modern-day South Carolina after Cormac's wife caught wind of the affair."
Anne Bonny and Mary Read were two of history's most notorious female pirates, operating during a time when women were effectively prohibited from pirate crews. Born at the end of the 17th century in Ireland and England respectively, both women came from difficult circumstances involving illegitimacy and family hardship. According to witness testimonies from their 1720 trial in Jamaica, they were exceptionally ruthless and deadly, shooting their rifles freely and sometimes fighting topless. Despite their historical prominence in popular culture and maritime museums, little is definitively known about their early lives, as historical accounts remain largely uncorroborated. Their stories represent women who defied societal restrictions and male-dominated fields.
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