Calico Jack

John Rackham "Calico Jack"
A woodcut of Rackham from Charles Johnson's 1725 edition of A General History of the Pyrates
Died	18 November 1720[2] Port Royal, Colony of Jamaica
Piratical career
Nickname	Calico Jack
Type	Pirate
Years active	1720
Rank	Captain[1]
Base of operations	West Indies
Commands	William (briefly)
Battles/wars	Capture of John "Calico Jack" Rackham

John Rackham^[a] (hanged 18 November 1720),^[2] commonly known as Calico Jack, was an English pirate captain operating in the Bahamas and in Cuba during the early 18th century. His nickname was derived from the calico clothing that he wore, while Jack is a nickname for "John".

Rackham was active towards the end (1718–1720) of the "Golden Age of Piracy". He is most remembered for having two female crew members: Mary Read and his lover, Anne Bonny.

Rackham deposed Charles Vane from his position as captain of the sloop Ranger, then cruised the Leeward Islands, Jamaica Channel and Windward Passage. He accepted the King's Pardon in 1719 and moved to New Providence, where he met Anne Bonny, who was married to James Bonny at the time. He returned to piracy in 1720 by stealing a British sloop and Anne joined him. Their new crew included Mary Read, who was disguised as a man at the time. After a short run, Rackham was captured by Jonathan Barnet, an English privateer, in 1720, put on trial by Sir Nicholas Lawes, Governor of Jamaica, and hanged in November of that year in Port Royal, Jamaica.^[3]

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