You’ll find Anne Bonny and Mary Read‘s actual plunder disappointingly modest—their 1720 raids aboard the sloop *William* netted fishing tackle, provisions, and approximately £1,000 rather than legendary Spanish treasure. Over two months, they targeted vulnerable coastal vessels, merchant sloops, and fishing boats across Caribbean waters, seizing everyday cargo instead of gold-laden chests. Despite centuries of treasure-hunting speculation, no burial sites or significant caches have ever surfaced, though persistent myths continue to obscure what trial records and maritime documentation actually reveal about their brief piratical careers.
Key Takeaways
- Rackham’s crew targeted fishing boats and merchant sloops, netting only £1,000 in plunder rather than legendary Spanish treasure.
- Pirates seized tackle, catch, and cargo from coastal traders during two months of Caribbean raiding operations.
- No historical evidence links Bonny and Read to buried treasure caches, despite persistent romantic myths and legends.
- The *William* was a modest 12-ton vessel with limited cargo capacity, making significant treasure accumulation highly unlikely.
- Trial records reveal no treasure inventories surfaced during November 1720 proceedings, contradicting popular treasure narratives.
The Notorious Female Pirates of the Caribbean
The Golden Age of Piracy (1700-1725) witnessed an extraordinary phenomenon in the male-dominated world of Caribbean buccaneering: two women who defied convention by wielding cutlasses alongside their male counterparts.
Anne Bonny and Mary Read shattered gender dynamics by disguising themselves as men from early life, with Read serving in Holland’s military before shifting to piracy.
Defying 18th-century conventions, these women warriors mastered military combat and seafaring before claiming their place among Caribbean pirates.
Their female pirate leadership emerged when they joined John “Calico Jack” Rackham’s crew aboard the *William* in August 1720.
The crew’s piracy exploits proved lucrative, with their October 1, 1720 raid on two merchant ships netting over £1,000 in plunder.
You’ll find their credentials weren’t mere theatrics—both women fought fiercely during Jonathan Barnet’s assault off Negril, Jamaica, standing alone on deck while their male crewmates cowered below.
When Mary Read fired into the hold, killing one refusing pirate, she proved that courage transcends gender in maritime warfare.
After their capture, both Bonny and Read escaped execution by claiming pregnancy, a legal provision that temporarily saved them from the gallows that claimed Calico Jack Rackham.
Golden Age Plunder: What Did They Actually Steal?
You’ll find Rackham’s crew targeted working vessels rather than treasure-laden galleons—two merchant sloops off Hispaniola, another near Maria Bay, and eight fishing boats across Caribbean waters netted approximately £1,000 in documented plunder.
Their prize vessel, the *William* (renamed *Revenge*), displaced merely 12 tons and mounted four guns, reflecting the modest scale of their operations from August to October 1720.
Unlike romanticized accounts of buried chests, these pirates seized tackle, catch, and cargo from coastal traders plying routes between the Bahamas, Cuba, and Jamaica—practical theft that sustained their three-month voyage rather than legendary fortune. The crew operated primarily around the Bahamas, the same Caribbean waters where Mary Read had honed her piratical skills before joining Rackham’s company.
Among their captures, several schooners fell victim to the *Revenge*, adding to the tally of vessels taken during their brief but active raiding period in Caribbean waters.
Caribbean Merchant Ship Targets
During their brief but destructive campaign from August through October 1720, Rackham’s crew systematically targeted vulnerable maritime commerce across Jamaica and the Bahamas.
Their merchant ship strategies focused on coastal vessels carrying hard currency and tradeable goods—precisely the high-liquidity plunder that sustained their operation. You’ll notice they seized two merchant ships on 1 October alone, extracting over £1,000 in British pounds.
These weren’t random attacks; piracy economics demanded quick conversions to provisions and supplies.
The crew exploited predictable shipping lanes around Harbour Island and Port Maria Bay, where merchant traffic concentrated. They’d invite English vessels alongside for false parley—a calculated ambush tactic that worked at Negril Point.
Smaller sloops and brigs became primary marks, their limited defensive capabilities making them ideal targets for Rackham’s understaffed operation. Both Anne Bonny and Mary Read played crucial roles in these merchant vessel raids, demonstrating their value as active combatants rather than mere passengers aboard Calico Jack’s ship. Bonny’s combat effectiveness was evident throughout the campaign, as she disguised as a man during pillaging operations while maintaining her true identity among the crew.
Legendary Treasure Burial Sites
Contrary to romantic legend, Rackham’s crew amassed no significant treasure requiring burial sites—their two-month rampage netted fishing tackle, ship provisions, and modest cash from coastal sloops rather than Spanish treasure galleons.
You’ll find no historical evidence linking Bonny and Read to buried caches, despite persistent treasure myths claiming otherwise. Their small crew of fourteen operated from a single stolen sloop, the *William*, with limited cargo capacity for plunder.
The burial legends emerged after their disappearance from historical records post-trial, but Jamaican authorities documented precisely what Barnet seized: two captured vessels and minor goods. Governor Rogers issued the arrest proclamation on 5 September 1720, well before any substantial plunder could accumulate.
Unlike blockade-running pirates targeting laden merchantmen, this crew attacked fishing canoes and coastal traders—hardly the stuff of legendary treasure maps you’d risk your neck to follow. The *William* itself was a 12-ton sloop armed with only four carriage guns and two swivel guns, a vessel designed for coastal raids rather than hauling significant treasure hoards.
The Sloop William Heist and Caribbean Raids
The pirate careers of Anne Bonny and Mary Read commenced on August 22, 1720, when John Rackham’s crew hijacked the 12-ton Sloop William from Nassau Harbour—a vessel mounting six guns that would serve as their platform for Caribbean plunder.
You’ll find their campaign targeted merchant vessels and fishing boats along Jamaica’s coast, where the crew’s dozen members seized cargo, ammunition, and provisions during several months of raids. Both women earned their notorious reputation through aggressive behavior during raids, often fighting more fiercely than their male counterparts.
The William’s modest tonnage belied its effectiveness as a raiding vessel, allowing the pirates to operate in coastal waters where larger Royal Navy ships couldn’t pursue with equal maneuverability. Rackham had designed the Jolly Roger flag that flew above their sloop, marking their vessel as a pirate ship during their raids across Caribbean waters.
Stealing the William Sloop
Anne Bonny and Mary Read employed classic pirate tactics during the boarding action:
- Disguised as male sailors to maintain operational security
- Wielded cutlasses and pistols during close-quarters combat
- Overwhelmed defenders through aggressive assault, forcing quick surrender
The *William*’s 2,000-pound cargo of sugar, rum, and indigo financed your crew’s autonomy.
Captain McCoy survived, later testifying at trial.
Rackham immediately repurposed the vessel, exploiting its speed for raids that yielded 1,500 additional pounds before capture.
Plundering Caribbean Merchant Vessels
Following Rackham’s acquisition of the *William*, his crew commenced a systematic raiding campaign that stretched across the western Caribbean’s most lucrative shipping lanes.
You’ll find their plundering tactics distinguished them from conventional pirates—both Bonny and Read dressed in men’s attire during engagements, fighting with exceptional ferocity while their male counterparts often retreated below deck.
Their Caribbean waters operations encompassed Harbour Island, Cuba’s coastline, and Jamaica’s merchant routes, where they hoisted the red flag signaling no quarter given.
The sloop’s maneuverability proved instrumental in overtaking merchant vessels throughout 1720.
By the time they anchored off Negril, central authorities had marked this crew as particularly dangerous.
Their success pattern involved swift strikes followed by celebratory intoxication—a vulnerability that would ultimately facilitate their capture.
Merchant Vessels and Maritime Targets
The crew’s pirate alliances focused on three primary vessel categories:
- Fishing boats – Seven documented captures around Harbour Island and Bahamas waters.
- Merchant sloops – Multiple prizes seized through coordinated attacks.
- Coastal schooners – Including the Mary and Sarah captured five leagues from Porto Maria Bay.
You’ll find their operational pattern revealing: they fired muskets and pistols during engagements, forcing merchant compliance through overwhelming force.
Governor Rogers’s September proclamation declared them enemies, confirming their threat to Crown commerce throughout Bahamian and Jamaican shipping lanes.
The Battle at Negril Bay and Captain Barnet’s Pursuit
Rackham’s string of successful raids along Jamaica’s coastline proved his undoing when Governor Nicholas Lawes hired privateer Jonathan Barnet to hunt down the increasingly bold pirate crew.
By tracking sailor gossip and witness accounts, Captain Barnet traced them to Negril Bay—now called Bloody Bay—where Rackham’s men celebrated their recent £1,000 plunder with stolen rum below deck.
On October 22, 1720, around 10 PM, Barnet approached under British colors and demanded surrender.
While drunken pirates cowered in the hold, only Anne Bonny and Mary Read fought back with cutlasses and pistols. Read even fired into the hold, killing one coward to rally the crew.
Their defiant stand failed against Barnet’s boarding party, ending their pirate careers and delivering them to Spanish Town’s gallows.
Trial Revelations and Pregnancy Pleas
Within weeks of their capture at Negril Bay, Anne Bonny and Mary Read stood before Jamaica’s Court of Admiralty in Spanish Town, where Sir Nicholas Lawes presided over proceedings that would determine their fate.
The trial dynamics on November 28, 1720, reflected the era’s loose evidence standards—mere presence aboard a pirate vessel guaranteed conviction.
Dorothy Thomas and three other witnesses testified against them, describing:
- Women wearing men’s jackets, trousers, and handkerchiefs with machetes and pistols
- Active participation in boarding actions and distributing gunpowder to crew
- Full engagement in pirate operations alongside male crew members
The guilty verdict came swiftly, followed by death sentences.
Yet both women revealed second-trimester pregnancies, invoking the legal right to “plead their bellies.” This technicality postponed their executions indefinitely, sparing them from the noose.
The Old Head of Kinsale Treasure Legend
You’ll find Anne Bonny’s birthplace at Old Head of Kinsale circa 1698 carries persistent folklore about buried gold bullion, though no contemporary accounts document treasure caches at this Irish headland.
The legend likely stems from romanticized 19th-century pirate narratives conflating her maritime origins with typical buccaneer tropes, despite the Rackham crew’s documented plunder consisting primarily of tobacco, pimento, and fishing vessel cargo rather than precious metal hoards.
Historical records show no verified excavation sites or period references linking Bonny’s brief pirating career to any substantial treasure deposits near the De Courcy Castles or surrounding coastal territory.
Ann Bonny’s Irish Connection
- Navigated treacherous Atlantic swells toward colonial ports
- Traded contraband through secluded coves
- Cultivated treasure legends that persisted for centuries
This regional maritime culture shaped Anne’s defiant trajectory from disgraced plantation daughter to Caribbean buccaneer.
It cemented her status as Ireland’s most notorious pirate export.
Gold Bullion Burial Site
Anne Bonny’s legacy extends beyond her Caribbean exploits to the windswept headlands of her Irish homeland, where treasure hunters have long sought evidence of pirate gold at the Old Head of Kinsale.
This narrow promontory, fortified since 1223 and controlled by successive overlords, presents ideal conditions for concealing plunder. The headland’s restricted access—now complicated by private golf course development—has fueled burial mysteries linking Bonny to cached gold treasure.
Archaeological evidence reveals continuous occupation from 580 BC through medieval periods, with rock-cut fosses and settlement remains suggesting strategic importance for maritime operations.
While no documented evidence confirms pirate hoards at An Seancheann, the site’s defensive advantages and Bonny’s Cork County origins sustain speculation.
You’ll find the truth remains buried beneath centuries of Irish coastal history.
Historical Evidence Gaps
Despite centuries of romanticized storytelling, the historical record reveals no credible connection between Anne Bonny’s pirate career and treasure deposits at the Old Head of Kinsale.
You’ll find the evidentiary trail runs cold when examining claims of buried loot, exposing fundamental historical discrepancies between legend and documented fact.
The missing documentation includes:
- No trial manifests from the 28 November 1720 Spanish Town proceedings listing seized plunder or burial locations
- Zero archaeological evidence at Old Head despite thorough coastal surveys
- Absent contemporary accounts in 18th-century maritime logs or journals mentioning Kinsale deposits
Captain Charles Johnson’s *A General History* provides Bonny’s sole biographical framework, yet it omits treasure references entirely.
Rackham’s crew operated exclusively in Caribbean waters, making transatlantic loot transport logistically implausible.
You’re steering through myth, not maritime history.
Florida’s Oyster Bay Hoard Connection
Among Florida’s constellation of pirate treasure legends, Oyster Bay stands as one of the most persistently cited sites in maritime folklore, immortalized in Sanford and Warner’s 1960 “Ye True Chart of Pirate Treasure Lost or Hidden In the Land & Waters of Florida.”
Oyster Bay remains one of Florida’s most enduring pirate treasure sites in maritime folklore and legend.
The location’s connection to Anne Bonny emerged not from admiralty court records or contemporary shipping logs, but from the tantalizing gap between her 1720 capture and a 1732 burial entry at St. Catherine’s Church, Jamaica.
You’ll find no trial transcripts placing Rackham’s crew in Florida waters—their documented raids concentrated around Bahamas, Cuba, and Jamaica, yielding over £1,000 from merchant vessels.
Yet 17th-century coins discovered in Florida groves kept these treasure legends alive, drawing fortune-seekers throughout the 1920s despite the complete absence of archaeological evidence linking Bonny’s unexecuted fate to Oyster Bay’s alleged hoard.
Missing Records and Lost Fortune Mysteries
When the gavel fell at Spanish Town’s November 1720 proceedings, court clerks meticulously recorded the death sentences for Anne Bonny and Mary Read alongside their male crewmates—yet the administrative paper trail dissolves into maritime fog immediately after both women revealed their pregnancies.
You’ll find three critical voids in the archival record:
- Governor Lawes never issued execution orders for either woman post-sentencing.
- No inventory catalogued plunder from Rackham’s two-month raiding campaign.
- Release documentation remains conspicuously absent from Jamaican colonial logs.
This missing documentation fuels persistent treasure legends about loot jettisoned before capture.
While Mary Read’s April 1721 burial confirms her prison death, Anne Bonny simply vanishes—no execution, no release papers, no trace.
The simultaneous disappearance of both administrative records and stolen cargo suggests deliberate erasure rather than bureaucratic neglect.
Separating Myth From Historical Reality
The administrative silence surrounding Bonny and Read’s fate created a vacuum that romantic storytellers enthusiastically filled with fabrications.
You’ll find Captain Johnson’s 1724 account launched enduring myths about female piracy that overshadow documented evidence.
While historical narratives portray cross-dressing lovers battling alongside cutlass-wielding men, trial records from Spanish Town reveal mundane reality: two months raiding fishing vessels and small merchant sloops yielded no treasure inventories.
The powder monkey and deck fighter fought courageously during capture at Negril Point, yet no loot manifests surfaced during November 1720 proceedings.
Governor Lawes focused on deterrence through swift execution, not recovering nonexistent riches.
You’re left distinguishing between theatrical legend and sparse colonial documentation—a gap where freedom-seeking imaginations transformed minor Caribbean raiders into immortalized symbols of rebellion.
Frequently Asked Questions
Did Anne Bonny and Mary Read Have a Romantic Relationship?
You’ll find no solid evidence confirming a romantic bond between them. Their pirate partnership was fierce and legendary, but historical records suggest deep friendship forged through shared secrecy aboard ship, not proven intimate relations despite popular speculation.
What Happened to Anne Bonny’s Child After Her Trial?
Anne Bonny’s legacy includes murky details about her child’s fate. You’ll find scant evidence in ship’s logs or court records—the babe likely survived in Charles Town, raised quietly ashore while Anne sailed beyond history’s horizon.
How Did Anne Bonny and Mary Read Learn Sword Fighting Skills?
Mary Read gained sword training techniques through British military service while disguised as a man, developing combat proficiency. Anne Bonny’s skills likely came from historical influences within pirate crews, where she’d practice cutlass work aboard ship.
Were Any of Rackham’s Male Crew Members Also Spared From Execution?
No, execution outcomes show all of Rackham’s crew who stood trial in November 1720 were hanged. You’ll find no male pirates received pardons—only Anne Bonny and Mary Read escaped the noose by claiming pregnancy.
Did Anne Bonny Ever Return to Ireland After Her Piracy Career?
No evidence charts Anne Bonny’s Ireland return after her piracy career ended. Historical significance lies in her Carolina connections post-trial, not homeward voyages. You’ll find she likely remained in American waters, never crossing the Atlantic again.
References
- https://www.rmg.co.uk/stories/maritime-history/real-pirates-anne-bonny-mary-read
- https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=H8Y7kp1PfM4
- https://history.howstuffworks.com/historical-figures/anne-bonny.htm
- https://disneyparks.fandom.com/wiki/Anne_Bonny_&_Mary_Read
- https://calicojackcharters.com/the-history-of-calico-jack-and-anne-bonny/
- https://www.areasgrey.com/expeditions/ann-bonnys-disappearance-and-hidden-treasures
- https://www.historyextra.com/period/stuart/anne-bonny-mary-read-female-pirates-lives-crimes/
- https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Anne_Bonny
- https://allthatsinteresting.com/mary-read
- https://www.historic-uk.com/HistoryUK/HistoryofEngland/Mary-Read-Pirate/
