‘Calico’ Jack Rackham is probably more famous than he should be, due to his association with the female pirates, Anne Bonny and Mary Reed.

Jack Rackham was a fairly insignificant pirate who attacked shipping around the coastal regions of the Caribbean. He was caught in May of 1719 but somehow managed to gain a pardon. Taking some time off from piracy, he met Anne Bonny and Mary Reed.

Jack took the two women on as crew members and, having not learned from his close encounter with the gallows, began terrorising the Caribbean. After just a year his ship was attacked by a British captain. jack and his men were either drunk or scared and were easily captured.

All were taken to Port Royal were they were put on trial. With the exception of Anne Bonny who was pardoned and Mary Reed who died in jail, all were hanged.

Whilst not a proveable fact, Rackham is said to have been the original adopter of the ‘Jolly Roger’, or skull and crossbones, as his flag, designed to incite fear in the ships he attacked.

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