# Anne Bonny — A General History of the Pirates character guide

> Anne Bonny in A General History of the Pirates by Captain Charles Johnson.

**Role:** major

**Also known as:** Ann Bonny, Anne

**First appearance:** 0011-the-life-of-anne-bonny

## Snapshot

Born illegitimate near Cork, Anne Bonny abandoned respectability for the sea, becoming a pirate whose temper and loyalty matched any man's.

## Who they are

Anne Bonny enters the world as an attorney's bastard daughter, a beginning that seems to set her outside ordinary rules from the start. She takes to piracy with a ferocity that surprises even hardened crewmates, and her bond with Mary Read becomes one of the book's most striking partnerships. Her presence forces the reader to reckon with how the pirate world both punished and depended on women who refused its limits.

## In the story

### [Of Captain John Rackam, and His Crew](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/a_general_history_of_the_pirates_se/chapters/vii-of-captain-john-rackam-and-his-crew)

Implied as one of the two female pirates who pleaded pregnancy to avoid execution, though not explicitly named in this chapter.

### [The Life of Mary Read](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/a_general_history_of_the_pirates_se/chapters/the-life-of-mary-read)

Fellow female pirate who initially mistook Mary Read for a handsome young man and later discovered her sex; was also convicted of piracy.

### [The Life of Anne Bonny](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/a_general_history_of_the_pirates_se/chapters/the-life-of-anne-bonny)

Protagonist of the chapter; born illegitimate in Ireland, later moves to Carolina, marries a poor sailor, then becomes a pirate alongside John Rackam, displaying fierce courage.

## Links

- HTML: https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/a_general_history_of_the_pirates_se/characters/anne_bonny
- Book: https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/a_general_history_of_the_pirates_se
- All characters: https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/a_general_history_of_the_pirates_se/characters