John Rackham (b. December 21, 1682 - d. November 18, 1720 in Jamaica), also known as Jack Rackham, Calico Jack Rackham or Calico Jack, (often misspelled Rackam or Rackum in contemporary documentation), was an Englishpiratecaptain during the early 18th century. His nickname was derived from the calico clothing he wore.[1]
John Rackham is most remembered for two things: 1) his Hollywood-preferred black flag featuring the skull and crossed cutlasses, & 2) employing the two notorious female pirates of The Golden Age of Piracy – Anne Bonny and Mary Read – in his crew.
He made a career of plundering small vessels close to shore, which proved his undoing as he cruised Jamaica in Fall 1720. He captured numerous small fishing vessels, terrorizing fishermen & women along the northern coastline before coming across a small vessel filled with other English pirates. The nine armed men were invited aboard, but were almost immediately under attack by an armed sloop sent out by Governor Lawes.
Capture, Trial & Death
Rackham and his crew were captured October 1720 by Captain Jonathan Barnet. Rackham & the male members of the crew were tried & convicted in Spanish Town, Jamaica, November 16-17, 1720. Rackham was hanged the next day, November 18, 1720. Rackham's body was then tarred, hanged in a cage, & gibbeted on display on a very small islet at a main entrance to Port Royal, Jamaica as a warning to other pirates (now known as Rackhams Cay). This is referenced in the Disney film Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl in which several pirates are hanged from an open caveface in the film rendition of Port Royal. Calico Jack's flag was used in Pirates of the Caribbean: At World's End as the Black Pearl's pirate flag.
Other Pirates
According to the contemporary transcript of the trials, Anne Bonny and Mary Read were not executed, because at their trial a week after Rackham's they both said they were pregnant. They were given a temporary stay until the claim was proved, and the plan was to hang them after childbirth. However, Read died in April 1721 of fever related to childbirth, while Bonny disappeared from the Jamaica records, leaving much legend and speculation regarding her fate. The fate of the newborns is also unknown.
The nine men captured with Rackham were tried & convicted in January 1721, & hanged February 1721.
