Mary Read

Mary Read
1724 engraving of Read from A General History of the Pyrates
Born	Kingdom of England
Died	April 1721 Spanish Town, Colony of Jamaica
Resting place	St. Catherine Parish, Jamaica
Piratical career
Type	Pirate
Allegiance	John Rackham
Base of operations	Caribbean

Mary Read (died April 1721), was a pirate who served under John Rackham. She and Anne Bonny were among the few female pirates during the "Golden Age of Piracy".

Much of Read's background is unknown. The first biography of Read comes from Captain Charles Johnson's 1724 book, A General History of the Pyrates. According to Johnson, Read was born in England, dressed as a boy much of her childhood, eventually joined the military and later moved to the West Indies. Though Johnson's version of events has become generally accepted, there is little evidence to support them.

At an unknown date, Read traveled to the Bahamas where she became acquainted with the pirate John Rackham. Around August 1720, she joined Rackham's crew, alongside Anne Bonny. Together they stole the sloop William from Nassau harbor. Read's time as a pirate was short lived, as she, Bonny, and Rackham were arrested in October 1720. Rackham was executed in November, but Read and Bonny both claimed to be pregnant during their trials and received a stay of execution. Read died while imprisoned in April 1721, while Bonny's fate is unknown.