Mary became wracked with fear and concern when her lover began a feud with another pirate on board, which was to be settled by duel on land. Their friendship turned to romance and they became lovers. After catching a glimpse of her breasts, the young man’s desire was piqued, and he began to ask questions until Mary explained that she was not really a man, but a woman in disguise. Once their friendship had been established, Mary began to expose her true gender to him without directly telling him. Eventually the two became mess-mates and close companions. She slandered the life of a pirate in front of him, knowing full well that he himself abhorred piracy. Among these new recruits was a young man that Mary fell in love with, and she set out to befriend him in her male disguise. Whenever they chanced upon able bodies, they would recruit them into the crew, willingly or otherwise. Success followed and Mary and her crew seized ships from Jamaica and the West Indies sailing to and from England. In a bid to sooth his jealousy Anne let Jack in on Mary’s secret, although this remained a secret from the rest of the crew. Anne’s lover and the captain of the ship, Calico Jack, became jealous of the relationship Anne and Mary shared and, assuming them to be lovers, threatened to cut Mary’s throat. In response to Anne’s declaration, Mary also removed her disguise. Anne revealed to Mary the truth of her disguise and gender, either out of trust or through an attempt at seduction. Anne was also a brave fighter and always remained on deck with Mary to fight off attacks. Her disguise had carried her to this point, with none suspecting her to be a woman.Īmongst her crewmates was another woman in male disguise, Anne Bonny – the lover of Calico Jack. Mary proved to be just as brave in piracy as she was in the military and was always the first to fight off any attacks to the ship. She joined a pirate crew captained by Englishman John ‘Calico Jack’ Rackham. She barely had a chance to progress in her new career as the ship quickly turned to mutiny, leading Mary to return to piracy. Mary subsequently set off to sea once more, becoming a privateer for the Commander of the Island of Providence. Mary’s crew accepted this pardon and returned to dry land where they lived until their money grew short. Mary fell into a life of piracy until sometime between 17, when the king issued a pardon to any pirate willing to surrender. This ship had not travelled far before it was plundered by English pirates, who took Mary as part of their crew. She briefly joined the military service in Holland before boarding a ship sailing for the West Indies and starting her career on the high seas. In widowhood, Mary returned to her male disguise. They bought women’s clothes for Mary and used marital gifts to purchase an inn which they ran together for a short time until her husband’s death. Mary married her soldier and they sought to be discharged from military service. He returned her affections, first attempting to make her his mistress, then finally pursuing her as his wife. As Mary shared a tent with the man she loved, and they were so often together, Mary was eventually able to reveal the truth of her gender and her feelings for him. However, Mary often volunteered for additional battles to fight alongside this man and Mary gained a reputation as a brave albeit mad soldier amongst her fellow soldiers and commanders. She could not and did not outwardly exhibit this emotion to him in fear of exposing herself and risking her position in the army. It was here she met a young Flemish soldier and soon fell in love with him. Later she moved to the Flanders military where she exhibited great bravery. Such work did not satisfy Mary and she left to join the British military. At the age of thirteen, Mary was sent into service to work as a footman to make money to support her and her mother. This male disguise continued to be a useful tool for Mary. Following the boy’s death, Mary’s mother dressed Mary as her half-brother in a bid to ensure maintenance payments continued and to cover up the illegitimate Mary. Her mother had survived on the maintenance money her in-laws provided for her now fatherless son, prior to Mary’s birth. Born in England towards the end of the 17th century, Mary was the illegitimate daughter of a young widow. Englishwoman Mary Read is ultimately remembered for two things: as a woman who disguised herself as a man, and for her career as a fearsome pirate.
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