The Dandy of the Caribbean

by Helen Hollick

CALICO JACK RACKHAM

Jack Rackham – even the name has an evocative ring to it, especially when you add the nickname ‘Calico Jack’ and mention his two sidekicks, Anne Bonny and Mary Read. But who was the real Jack Rackham?

Woodcut of Jack Rackham

The ‘calico’ refers to the material of his favourite clothing, and he was the eye candy of his day. Although Disney has never specifically said, Captain Sparrow was undoubtedly modelled on Calico Jack – even the movie’s pirate flag was similar to Rackham’s skull and crossed-cutlasses. But there the similarity ends.

Jack Rackham's flag

Born John Rackham in 1682, there is no knowledge of his childhood; all we know is that he was English and became quartermaster (second-in-command) to pirate Charles Vane in 1718.

In October of that year they were among a group of pirates who met at Ocracoke Island, off the coast of North Carolina. Their host was Edward Teach, Blackbeard, and the gathering was to make merry and discuss piratical matters. Blackbeard was soon to meet his fate, but towards the end of November, Vane refused to pursue a French man-o’-war, and Rackham took the opportunity to depose him as captain. Vane and fifteen supporters were sent off in a sloop, leaving Rackham and the other ninety or so men to plunder several small vessels in and around Jamaica, capturing a merchant ship, Kingston, near Port Royal. Unfortunately the raid was within sight of the shore and several bounty hunters went after him, almost catching him in February 1719 while his ship was anchored at Isla de los Pinos, off Cuba. Fortunately, Rackham and his men were ashore and they escaped into the woodland, but lost the ship and her cargo.

Anne Bonny

The days of plundering had not been that successful: Rackham headed for Nassau and Governor Woodes Rogers’ offer of amnesty. A life of honest living, however, did not last long. Taverns, drinking and whoring had its limitations, particularly when Jack met the wife of sailor James Bonny – Anne. They became lovers and rather than face public humiliation on the charge of adultery, in August 1719, Anne absconded with Jack and a new crew, stealing a boat – William, thereby breaking the amnesty.

They cruised the Caribbean, taking smaller ships and modest Prizes. When Anne became pregnant she stayed in Cuba to give birth, but was soon back aboard enjoying her life of freedom. It is not known what became of the child.

Sometime during 1719 Mary Read joined the crew.

Woodes Rogers issued a warrant, published in the autumn of 1720, for Rackham and his crew, with pirate hunter Jonathan Barnet picking up the challenge.

Plundering fishing boats and small fry off the coast of Jamaica, Jack Rackham, his lover Anne Bonny and Mary Read were unaware that their idyllic life was coming to an end. Taking advantage of surprise and the darkness, Barnet attacked their anchored vessel during the night. Rackham and his men were below deck, drinking heavily. Anne and Mary put up a fight, but were overwhelmed. The entire crew were taken to Jamaica and charged with offences of piracy.

The entire crew were taken to Jamaica to face trial, and the noose. The trial was a sensation; media interest was as rife in the early 18th century as it is now where scandal is concerned. The interest being Anne and Mary. Several witnesses confirmed that the two women fought alongside the men, and Anne in particular encouraged excessive violence. They were not destined to hang, however, for both ‘pleaded their belly’ – were pregnant, so execution was postponed until the birth of the babies. Mary died in jail of fever a few months later, but there is no record of Anne’s labour or delivery, release or execution. What happened to her, we do not know - although there are several different rumours, which I will reveal next time...

It may be fact, legend, or pure fiction, but Bonny's last words to Jack Rackham as he was led out to the gallows were full of contempt: ‘Had you fought like a man, you need not hang like a dog.’

Sources:

Wikipedia https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Calico_Jack
Life Among the Pirates, by David Cordingly
A History of Pirates, by Nigel Hawthorne
Scourge of the Seas, by Angus Konstam

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Jack Rackham appears as a 'bit part' in the third of my Sea Witch Voyages, Bring It Close. If things work out as planned he will have a bigger part in a future adventure. He and his two female crew members, Anne Bonny and Mary Read also feature in a non-fiction pirate book I was recently commissioned to write - it is due to be published in February 2017.

Helen Hollick lives on a thirteen-acre farm in Devon. Born in London, Helen wrote pony stories as a teenager, moved to science-fiction and fantasy, and then discovered historical fiction. Published for over twenty years with her Arthurian Trilogy, and the 1066 era she became a ‘USA Today’ bestseller with her novel about Queen Emma The Forever Queen (UK title A Hollow Crown). She also writes the Sea Witch Voyages, pirate-based nautical adventures with a touch of fantasy - pirates being her present passion!

Connect with Helen through her Website, Blog, Facebook, Twitter (@HelenHollick), and through her Amazon Author’s Page. 

Bring It Close, the third voyage of Captain Acorne is available on Amazon. 

Notorious Pirate Havens of the Caribbean

By Nick Smith

The pirate stronghold: a place where the wenches are dirty and cheap, where the rum and smuggled French wine flow fast and free, and a place safe from the Crown…

The popular image of lawless havens of prostitutes, alcoholism, and squalor is not one far from the truth. Throughout the Golden Age of Piracy there were many such places a dubious seafarer of ill-repute could find a bed for the night, and unfussy merchants to unload their pilfered cargo to, but where were they? When were they operational? And why were they tolerated?

In last month's post, I already discussed in detail the history of the buccaneers, but let me give you a quick recap. The buccaneers were mostly runaway indentured servants or grounded sailors attempting to carve a bloody life for themselves in the disease-ridden Caribbean. They were around throughout the 17th Century, and in their early days operated mainly from their base of Tortuga - our first pirate haven.

Tortuga - 1650.

In his book - The Buccaneers of America - Exquemelin gives a firsthand account of how thousands of musket-wielding buccaneers lived on this turtle-shaped island North of Hispaniola. An island disputed by the French, Spanish, and English, but very loosely administered by the French government, it was a perfect place for hardened opportunists to strike out at Spanish-owned Hispaniola and Cuba and to pilfer precious redwoods. Even in times of peace, the Spanish didn't believe there was such a thing in the Caribbean, and so battles waged between the military and civilians alike. Corrupt governors made no move to curb such piratical activities by their warrior inhabitants. No doubt they benefited greatly from the money they earned, and in times of need the buccaneers acted as an elite militia.

If you think I was exaggerating about prostitutes, I wasn't. A French governor, in an attempt to cool the temper of the bloodthirsty buccaneers, imported over a thousand ladies of negotiable affection from Europe! This pirate haven thrived until the 1670s, when the French took a greater interest in the island and expelled the English and Dutch inhabitants.

They went other places instead - most notably Port Royal, Jamaica - our second pirate haven. Under the control of England since the English Civil War, it was a perfect island for the refugee buccaneers to strike at not just Cuba and Hispaniola - but the Spanish Main also. The musket-wielding wood-choppers had become emboldened, and led by such legends as Henry Morgan, they brought literally tons of pilfered wealth back to England. Their attacks were sharp and brutal. 

Did the English government make an effort to curb the activities then? No… they encouraged it, and sent advisers to help. With such fame and fortune earned by some, even more rogues flocked from across Europe. A place beyond control, contemporaries described Port Royal as the most wicked place on earth, and when the earthquake of 1692 sent half of this pirate haven into the sea, it was claimed that God was punishing the depraved for their sins.

A cross-section of Port Royal, before and after 1692. Wikipedia Commons

Port Royal - and the newer-formed Kingston across the bay - did remain as a pirate haven, but other places began to take preference for the sea rovers, such as the neglected French administered Petit and Grande Goave on Hispaniola.

When England (and soon after, Britain) went to war with France and Spain in the early 1700s, most of the English pirates found work as privateers throughout the Caribbean and beyond, operating from Kingston and other English colonies. At the end of the War of the Spanish Succession in 1714, an opportunistic Jamaican governor began handing out letters of marque to pirates once more. He no doubt profited personally from the continued pilfering of Britain's traditional enemies. His action emboldened the now out-of-work sailors and privateers who were deemed to be surplus to requirements since the war's end. They flocked to the Caribbean like flies to a carcass, and even when they became too much of a strain for the capital of Jamaica, they found their own home instead…

Our next pirate haven is the town of Nassau, on New Providence Island - arguably the most famous and important of all pirate havens from the Golden Age. Pirates once friends with the Jamaican governor now set out to carve their own path. With the wealth of pilfered shipping lanes, they invested in the small Bahamas settlement and made it their own. Nassau became the feared home of the famous Blackbeard, Charles Vane, Benjamin Hornigold, Anne Bonney etc.

Those who had been a welcome tradition to the English crown for nearly a hundred years were now deemed to be a pest. Spain had more or less fallen, France was in a recession, and the pirates had turned to attacking British shipping instead. Nassau had been declared a pirate republic by the occupants, an open challenge to the accepted authority.

For five years Nassau remained an independent haven for freebooters until the Royal Navy and pirate hunters were dispatched to curb the problem. At the lead was Woodes Rogers, a once-privateer most notable for rescuing the real-life Robinson Crusoe: Alexander Selkirk. In 1718 he landed on the shores of Nassau, strung up a load of pirates, and offered the Royal Pardon to the rest. And so ended the great tradition of lawless pirate havens throughout the Caribbean. The Golden Age of Piracy was just about over…

An end to piracy: "The Capture of Blackbeard" Jean Leon Gerome Ferris, 1920, oil on canvas.

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Nick Smith is a twenty-eight year old Northumbrian in exile, currently living on a small rock in the Channel Sea where he teaches science. He has a love for all things of a nautical and historical nature.

He is the author of the gritty swashbuckling adventures ROGUES’ NEST & the newly released GENTLEMAN OF FORTUNE – both explore the reality of buccaneers and pirates at the start of the 1700s.

ROGUES’ NEST is set in the very real pirate haven of Petit Goave, described briefly above.

Find out more about his work at roguesnest.com