Mary Read or Mary Reade (1685-1721) is a historic pirate of the Caribbean, best known under her moniker of having been one of the two Pirate Queens of the Caribbean.
History[]
Mary Read was the daughter of a poor woman and a sailor in England. When Mary's elder brother died when Mary was an infant, Mary's mother chose to raise Mary as a boy so that her absent husband's sexist family would provide child-support. Mary was raised as a boy under the name of, "Mark Read" and eventually enlisted in the British Royal Navy.
As Ann officer in the Royal Navy, Mary fought alongside Dutch forces against the French military. Mary was an adept fighter and solider but eventually fell in-love with a Flemish solder who she retired from service with. Mary revealed herself as a woman and the two used their commissions to open an inn called "De drie hoefijzers" (Dutch: The Three Horseshoes) in the Netherlands.
Eventually, Mary's husband died an early death at which point Mary attempted to rejoin the Navy. However, due to being known as a woman, Mary was barred from returning to military service. Mary instead assumed her identity of Mark Read to work aboard a merchant-ship setting off for the West Indies in the Caribbean. When this ship was taken over by pirates, Mary switched forces to become a pirate herself.
Mary came to serve aboard a vessel known as The William which was controlled by one John "Calico Jack" Rackham. Rackham's second-in-command took an interest to Mary, believing them to be a man. The two romanced one another and when Mary revealed her true identity, the lieutenant did likewise and revealed themselves to be a woman named Anne Bonny.
Bonny and Read became lovers and partners in crime with Anne working as captain of the William in Calico Jack's fleet. Together, the two women were known as, "The Pirate Queens of the Caribbean" and discarded their male personas. In 1721, their ship was ambushed by British forces during a fight in-which the entire crew but Anne and Mary hid and cowered in fear.
Mary and Anne were overpowered and imprisoned in Port Royal along with the coward Calico Jack with all to be hanged for piracy. Mary and Anne however claimed to be pregnant, preventing the crown from executing them until they were to give birth. Mary died of illness in prison while Anne escaped, leaving Jack to be hanged for his cowardice.
Appearances[]
Pirates of the Caribbean[]
A mural depicting Mary and Anne arm-in-arm decorates the interior queue of Pirates of the Caribbean, next to a mural depicting Captain Barbossa. The artwork used is based on concept art of Anne and Mary created by Marc Davis from when more historic figures were to appear in the attraction.
Other appearances[]
Printed materials[]
The Buccaneer's Heart![]
In this non-canonical comic-book, Mary's ghost is summoned by a medallion called the Buccaneer's Heart. Mary is materialized alongside the ghosts of Blackbeard, Sir Henry Morgan and Bartholomew Roberts by William Turner. After they assist William, Will sets their spirits free and the four recognize Turner as a pirate captain destined for greatness.
Trivia[]
- In the audio-commentary for Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl, it was revealed that the pirate carcasses outside Port Royal which Jack Sparrow salutes belong to Calico Jack and his crew.
- Read's lover, Anne Bonny appeared in deleted scripts for the original Pirates of the Caribbean attraction, the Haunted Mansion, and Pirates of the Caribbean: At World's End. She did go on to inspire the character of Redd in the Pirates of the Caribbean attraction, however.
- The mural of the sapphic couple of Anne Bonny and Mary Read arm-in-arm in the queue for Pirates of the Caribbean might make them the first two explicitly LGBTQ+ characters featured in a Disney Parks property.
Gallery[]
