LHMP #547c Johnson 1724 A General History of the Pyrates Part 3

The General History of the Pirates

And now we’re ready to see what the General History says about Bonny and Read, three years after these events. The text I have is the second edition. My understanding is that the first edition also contained the material on Bonny and Read in the main text, but that only the appendices were new to the second edition.

In this section, I’ll present the relevant text from the General History, followed by a tentative timeline summary of each biography (if relevant), then an analysis of the contents and its likely relationship to reality. There are several questions to keep in mind when reading this material. If we assume the backstories were factual, how would Johnson have obtained this information? This is especially the case with regard to internal thoughts and motivations of people who are long dead at the time of Bonny and Read’s trials. Secondly, how does the described flirtation scenario align with the eyewitness accounts in the trial? How would Johnson know about this supposed scenario, given that it does not appear in the trial documents and that all members of Rackham’s crew had been executed? (Although we must remember that Anne Bonny’s fate is not recorded in any official documents.)

Like the newspaper accounts and the published trial records, the title of the General History highlights the inclusion of Bonny and Read in a way that makes clear they are assumed to be a major topic of interest to potential readers. Further Johnson admits that their narratives may strike the reader as fantastic, although the framing of histories about non-normative women are commonly labeled as sensational, not only to excite interest, but to provide a buffer between such women and normative expectations.

The introductory section of the General History provides exactly this type of framing.

“As to the Lives of our two female Pyrates, we must confess they may appear a little Extravagant, yet they are never the less true for seeming so, but as they were publickly try’d for their Pyracies, there are living Witnesses enough to justify what we have laid down concerning them; it is certain, we have produced some Particulars which were not so publickly known, the Reason is, we were more inquisitive into the Circumstances of their past Lives, than other People, who had no other Design, than that of gratifying their own private Curiosity: If there are some Incidents and Turns in their Stories, which may give them a little the Air of a Novel, they are not invented or contrived for that Purpose, it is a Kind of Reading this Author is but little acquainted with, but as he himself was exceedingly diverted with them, when they were related to him, he thought they might have the same Effect upon the Reader.”

Despite the author’s reference to “living witnesses,” certain events on shipboard no longer had living witnesses (with the hypothetical possible exception of Anne Bonny, but one would expect the Johnson to specifically note if he’d been able to interview her). Supposed events from the childhood of the two also cast doubt on the “living witnesses” claim. And if the theory that “Captain Johnson” was Daniel Defoe, then his claim to be “little acquainted with” novels is laughably false, as he published 8 novels between 1719 and 1724. (I haven’t read up on the scholarship around the work’s authorship.)

The material on Bonney and Read are included in the chapter on Rackham, rather than having their own chapters, but are set off with their own headings. Each of the women is given a longer text than that given to Rackham himself. (The section on Rackham doesn’t have any relevant information that isn’t duplicated in the Bonny and Read sections.)

The table of contents includes a brief summary of each chapter’s material. For Read and Bonney these table-of-contents summaries read as follows:

“The LIFE of MARY READ.

“MARY Read’s Birth, 157. Reasons for dressing her in Breeches, 158. Waits upon a Lady; goes into the Army, 159. Her Behaviour in several Engagements, ib. She falls in Love with her Comrade, ib. Her Sex discovered; the two Troopers married, 160. Settles at Breda, ib. Her Husband dies, she reassumes the Breeches, ib. Goes to Holland. To the West-Indies, 161. Turns Pyrate. Anne Bonny, another Pyrate, falls in Love with her, 162. Her Adventures to 165.

“The LIFE of ANNE BONNY.

“ANNE Bonny born a Bastard, 166. Her Mother’s Intrigues strangely discover’d, 167. Her Father lies with his own Wife, by mistake, 169. She proves with Child; the Husband jealous, 170. He separates from his Wife; lives with Anne Bonny’s Mother, 171. Anne Bonny put into Breeches for a Disguise, how discovered, ib. The Father becomes poor. Goes to Carolina, 172. Improves his Fortune. Anne Bonny marries against his Consent. Her fierce Temper, ib. Goes to Providence with her Husband, ib. Enticed to Sea in Men’s Cloaths, by Rackam the Pyrate, 173. Reproaches Rackam with Cowardice at his Execution, ib.”

At the end of the chapter on Rackham, the following is noted. After which the sections on the two women follow.

“Two other Pyrates were try’d that belonged to Rackam’s Crew, and being convicted, were brought up, and asked if either of them had any Thing to say why Sentence of Death should not pass upon them, in like Manner as had been done to all the rest; and both of them pleaded their Bellies, being quick with Child, and pray’d that Execution might be stay’d, whereupon the Court passed Sentence, as in Cases of Pyracy, but ordered them back, till a proper Jury should be appointed to enquire into the Matter.”

The preceding paragraph follows very closely the facts in the trial record: that the two women were tried separately, that they claimed pregnancy after their sentencing, and that their executions were stayed pending further investigation. We can surmise that this material was taken directly from those trial records, but at the same time it provides no additional details not present in the legal records, and indeed has less information, given that the women’s names are not mentioned.

(It's curious that the published trial records make no mention of any follow-up on the pregnancy claims. Based on my estimate the trial records were published about 5 months after the date of Bonny and Read’s trial. Any assessment would presumably have taken place well within that period. This isn’t really a comment on the General History, but it speaks to possible sources of information on events after the trial.)

Other chapters in the book don’t delve into the past lives and backgrounds of the pirates under discussion, but rather focus on ship movements and attacks. So the women’s sections are markedly different in this respect. Many of the men’s stories include extensive details of interactions and reported conversations that are attributed to depositions in court, whereas no sources are cited for the extensive details of Read’s and Bonney’s lives. (We can see these sorts of detailed reported speech in the court depositions quoted above.) In contrast, the narrative style of the following material aligns more with news accounts of “criminal histories” and cross-dressing narratives.

As some general historical background: Nassau in New Providence, Bahamas became a haven for pirates in the first decade of the 18th century, due to the lack of any governmental or military presence. Several actions were taken to begin to redress this situation. In September 1717 a pardon was offered for any pirates willing to give up piracy. (The “King’s Pardon” mentioned in the text.) The requirement was that they surrender within the following year, however either this offer was repeated at other times or there was a belief that it was still available later, based on references in the General History. In 1718, Woodes Rogers was sent by King George I to be Governor of New Providence. Late in 1718, the governor recruited some former pirates to turn privateer against Spanish colonies. There are some references in the General History that seem to refer to offers of this type. These events and dates correspond to some actions related in the narratives, but the exact correspondence is sometimes ambiguous.