Women in piracy
Name Years Active Culture Comments
Maria Lindsey Early 1700s English The wife of Captain Eric Cobham and possibly fictional . Pirate operating on the Canadian east coast
Maria Cobham Early 1700s English Often listed separately in lists of pirates but is likely to be Maria Lindsey ( see above )
Ingela Gathenhielm 1710-1721 Swedish Baltic pirate . Wife and partner of legendary pirate Lars Gathenhielm . Took sole control following his death in 1718
Anne Bonny born Anne Cormac , aliases Ann Bonn and Ann Fulford , possibly also Sarah Bonny 1719-1720 Irish Caribbean pirate . Married to pirate James Bonny , had an affair with pirate John Calico Jack Rackham , and later joined his crew . Discovered another crew member Mark Read was secretly a woman ( Mary Read ) and the two became very close
Mary Read , alias Mark Read 1718-1720 English Caribbean pirate . As a man , Mary went to sea and later joined the British army , fighting in the War Of The Spanish Succession . Mary married and settled down as a woman but returned to male dress following the death of her husband , later boarding a ship bound for the West Indies . Captured by Calico Jack Rackham , Mary joined his crew . In 1721 , she died in prison
Mary Farley , alias Mary /Martha Farlee / Harley / Harvey 1725-1726 Irish In 1725 , Mary Harvey and her husband Thomas were transported to the Province of Carolina as felons . In 1726 , Mary and three men were tried for piracy . Two of the men were hanged ( their leader John Vidal was convicted and later pardoned ) but Mary was released . Her husband Thomas was never caught
Mary Crickett ( or Critchett / Crichett ) 1728 English In 1728 , Mary Crickett and Edmund Williams were transported to the colony of Virginia together as felons . In 1729 , along with four other men , both were convicted of piracy and hanged
Flora Burn 1751 English Operated on the East Coast of North America
Rachel Wall 1770s American Married George Wall , a former privateer who served in the Revolutionary War , when she was sixteen years old . Operated on the New England Coast . Thought to be the first American female pirate . In 1782 , George and the rest of his crew were drowned in a storm . She was accused of robbery in 1789 and confessed to being a pirate . She was convicted and sentenced to death by hanging
Charlotte de Berry 1700s English Possibly fictional
18th-century pirates
While piracy was predominantly a male occupation, a minority of pirates were women. On many ships, women (as well as young boys) were prohibited by the ship's contract, which all crew members were required to sign. Because of the resistance to allowing women on board, many female pirates did not identify themselves as such. Anne Bonny, for example, dressed and acted as a man while on Captain Calico Jack's ship. She and Mary Read, another female pirate, are often identified as being unique in this regard. This article contains a list of female pirates who are recognized by historians, listed in the time period they were active.