Mary Read

Long may she reign

It’s Pride Month, and I thought what a great time to talk about the other half of one of the most infamous pirate duos in history: pirate queen Mary Read. We don't know a ton for sure about Mary's life before she became a pirate. However, we do know that Mary had wild adventures disguised as a boy in the military before she ever took up a life of privacy with her girlfriend, Anne Bonney and Anne Bonney's boyfriend, Jack Rackham. Join me on this episode to learn the wild tale of how a less than half-a-year private career made Mary the most famous female pirate in history. Bibliography Abbott, Karen. “If There’s a Man Among Ye: The Tale of Pirate Queens Anne Bonny and Mary Read.” Smithsonian Magazine, August 9, 2011. https://www.smithsonianmag.com/history/if-theres-a-man-among-ye-the-tale-of-pirate-queens-anne-bonny-and-mary-read-45576461/. Cartwright, Mark. “Calico Jack.” World History Encyclopedia. Accessed May 18, 2024. https://www.worldhistory.org/Calico_Jack/. ———. “Mary Read.” World History Encyclopedia. Accessed May 18, 2024. https://www.worldhistory.org/Mary_Read/. Contributors to Wikimedia projects. “Mary Read.” Wikipedia, May 12, 2024. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mary_Read. “Early Life · Mary Read and Anne Bonny: Two of England’s Most Notorious Pirates · Gallery.” Accessed May 18, 2024. https://gallery.lib.umn.edu/exhibits/show/mary-read-anne-bonny/mary-read/mary-read--early-life. Pirates! Fact and Legend. “Life in a Man’s World: Mary Read.” Accessed May 18, 2024. https://www.piratesinfo.com/famous-pirates/mary-read/life-in-a-mans-world-mary-read/. Historic UK. “Mary Read the Pirate,” September 3, 2017. https://www.historic-uk.com/HistoryUK/HistoryofEngland/Mary-Read-Pirate. Minster, Christopher. “Biography of Mary Read, English Pirate.” ThoughtCo, February 8, 2011. https://www.thoughtco.com/biography-of-mary-read-2136221. Queen Anne’s Revenge Project. “Pirate Profile: Mary Read.” Accessed May 18, 2024. https://www.qaronline.org/blog/2020-03-15/pirate-mary-read. Simon, Rebecca Alexandra. Pirate Queens: The Lives of Anne Bonny & Mary Read. Pen and Sword History, 2022. “The Project Gutenberg eBook of The Pyrates, by Daniel Defoe.” Accessed May 18, 2024. https://www.gutenberg.org/files/40580/40580-h/40580-h.htm. Tikkanen, Amy. “Mary Read.” Encyclopedia Britannica, August 2, 2017. https://www.britannica.com/biography/Mary-Read.