Mary Read

1. Mary Read McKenna Tucker Rogelio Bonilla

2. Childhood and Early Adulthood • Born in London some time in the late 1690s, we are not sure of her actual birth year • Mary’s mother told her father, a sailor out at sea, that Mary was a boy, “Mark”, in order to ensure that they would inherit the captain’s fortune • Money ran out • Read was still dressed as a boy and by the age of 13, she was working as a foot boy for a rich French lady • Mary soon got bored and decided to go to sea • Bored again, she joined the Flemish army • Became skilled with a sword and in battle

3. Revealing Her Secret • While with the Flemish army, Mary fell in love with a man in her crew and confessed her femininity to him. • They got married, settled down, and opened an inn called The Three Horseshoes • He soon died • Mary went back to the sea

4. A Coincidence • Anne Bonny, another female pirate, fell in love with “Calico” Jack Rackham • Over the next few years, Anne and Jack stole several ships and gathered treasure • They were known to treat their victims with respect • One time, Jack and Anne attacked the ship that “Sailor Read” was on. • Anne and Mary met • Mary was given the choice to either turn pirate, or die. • They quickly became friends

5. Life on The Revenge • Mary and Anne wore women’s clothing aboard the ship • Except during raids, when they dressed up as men • One night, all of the men on the ship were completely drunk. Mary and Anne were the only ones sober and fought valiantly but were overtaken • At a trial in Jamaica, the whole crew was sentenced to be hanged • Mary and Anne claimed to be pregnant and were to be held in jail until they gave birth • Mary died in 1721. We are unsure of the cause of death, whether it was of fever or childbirth.

6. The Revenge • Anne Bonny and Calico Jack fell in love and eloped • They stole a ship and renamed it The Revenge • They easily gathered a crew to be pirates. • Anne was a respected pirate among the ship and when Mary came they both were welcomed and respected and took part in “man’s activities” • Ex: raids, fights, and combat

7. Interesting Stories • Calico Jack was a fairly successful pirate and his captured several ships. As ships were captured, Jack would offer sailors the privilege of joining his crew. Once the sailor signed the articles of piracy, the former enemy became a friend. After one such encounter, Mary took a liking to one the pirates. • This guy, however got in a fight with an older more experienced pirate while at anchor one night, and as the laws decreed, a duel was set for the next day. • Mary, realizing that her lover would not stand a chance against the other pirate, began a quarrel with the bigger pirate, and demanded settlement on the spot. The quartermaster, as pirate law demanded, rowed the two ashore, and with pistol and cutlass, the duel began. • Both discharged their pistol for naught and then began the duel with cutlass in hand, The man had strength on his side but Mary was more agile and cunning. The duel had been going for some time, when the larger man made a thrust and stumbled. He would have probably managed to recover from this slip if it were not for what Mary did next. • Before the unbelieving eyes of the pirate, Mary ripped her shirt open to expose her breast. The pirate, not believing his eyes, hesitated for a split second. In that instance, Mary quickly grabbed his cutlass arm and with one swing of her own blade, nearly cut the mans head off. He lay on the ground grabbing his neck while still not believing he had been dueling a woman. few of the men on board Calico's ship were aware that Anne and Mary were women. • A different story: • Mary's grandmother (on her dad's side, who never returned from a trip) didn't like girls, in order to get support from her, her mother dressed her as a boy making her think that she was her grandson.

8. Code of Conduct • Code of conduct, are, rules. Like: • The captain or any other officer is allowed no more food than another man. • the captain cannot keep his cabin to himself. however captains had slight privileges. • equal voting rights • fair share of the loot and pirates punishments for those who cheated • fumbling was blamed • no lights at night • no fighting between pirates on board • penalty for dissertation

9. weaponry • Swords were sharp on one side, dangerous, heavy, and often curved • -Daggers were often held in the leather sheaths or belts • -pistols

10. Clothing • According to the woolen cap; in 1571 Elizabeth included a law ordering everyone over the age of 6 to wear a woolen cap on Sundays and holidays in order to help England's woolen trade. Wealthy people were excluded from this law. therefore pirates had to use a woolen cap. • another law Elizabeth passed was the specific use of certain colors depending on the social class of a person (pirates used the wealthy colors, since their clothes were stolen from rich people) • pirates used what ever fit them best and basically whatever the people from the ships they stole were wearing

11. Pirate Song • The pirate song was sung, or chanted, to accompany the hard and sometimes tedious tasks that had to be performed as part of the daily tasks of pirates. • Fifteen men on a dead man's chest Fifteen men on a dead man's chest yoho ho and a bottle of rum drink and the devil had done for the rest yoho ho and a bottle of rum • (most famous lines) • http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=li8VfNetr28

12. Works Cited • "Famous Pirate Ships." ELIZABETHAN ERA. Web. 02 Mar. 2011. <http://www.elizabethan-era.org.uk/famous-pirate-ships.htm>. • "Mary Read." BlindKat Publishers, Purveyors of Fine Web Pages. Web. 02 Mar. 2011. <http://blindkat.hegewisch.net/pirates/whosmary.html>. • "Pirate Code of Conduct." ELIZABETHAN ERA. Web. 02 Mar. 2011. <http://www.elizabethan-era.org.uk/pirate-code-conduct.htm>. • "Pirate Flags." ELIZABETHAN ERA. Web. 02 Mar. 2011. <http://www.elizabethan-era.org.uk/pirate-flags.htm>. • "Pirate Song." ELIZABETHAN ERA. Web. 02 Mar. 2011. <http://www.elizabethan-era.org.uk/the-pirate-song.htm>. • http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=li8VfNetr28