Calico Jack(1682 — 1720)
Jack Rackham
royaume de Grande-Bretagne
7 min read
English pirate of the early 18th century, active in the Caribbean during the “Golden Age of Piracy.” He owes his fame to his flag — a skull above two crossed cutlasses — and to the presence in his crew of the female pirates Anne Bonny and Mary Read.
Frequently asked questions
Key Facts
- Nicknamed “Calico Jack” because of the calico clothing (printed Indian cotton) he wore.
- In 1718, he became captain after ousting Charles Vane, who was judged too cautious during a fight.
- He accepted a royal pardon, then returned to piracy, counting the female pirates Anne Bonny and Mary Read among his crew.
- Captured in October 1720 off the coast of Jamaica by a pirate hunter.
- Tried and hanged on 18 November 1720 at Port Royal (Jamaica); his body was displayed at the harbor entrance as a warning.
Works & Achievements
The flag traditionally associated with Rackham became, long after his death, the most widespread image of the pirate flag in popular culture.
Elected captain by his crew in place of Vane, who was deemed a coward, Rackham illustrates the democratic workings and the voting that took place aboard pirate ships.
Rackham had two women pirates sailing in disguise within his crew, an exceptional case that secured his place in history.
His prizes were mostly small craft, sloops, and local fishing boats; a modest form of piracy, but one carried out as close as possible to the Caribbean trade routes.
The hijacking of this ship in the very harbour of the Bahamas' capital triggered Governor Woodes Rogers' proclamation and the manhunt that led to his capture.
Anecdotes
His nickname “Calico Jack” came from the calico clothing he loved to wear — a brightly patterned printed cotton imported from India (from the city of Calicut). Amid sailors dressed in coarse canvas, his colorful wardrobe made him stand out and earned him this nickname that has remained famous.
Rackham became captain in late 1718 in a typically piratical fashion: the crew voted to depose their leader Charles Vane, accused of cowardice for refusing to attack a French warship. Rackham, until then the quartermaster, was elected captain by a majority of the votes.
When Rackham's sloop was captured off the coast of Jamaica in 1720, two members of the crew fought fiercely on deck while the men, drunk, stayed hidden in the hold: the women pirates Anne Bonny and Mary Read. Both would escape the gallows by declaring themselves pregnant (“pleading the belly”).
According to Captain Charles Johnson's account, Anne Bonny was granted permission to see Rackham before his execution and threw him a line that has remained famous: she was sorry to see him there, but had he “fought like a man, he need not have been hanged like a dog.”
After his hanging in November 1720, Rackham's body was locked in an iron cage (a gibbet) and put on display on a small islet at the entrance to Port Royal, to serve as a warning to sailors. This little reef still bears the name “Rackham's Cay” today.
Primary Sources
She was sorry to see him there, but if he had fought like a Man, he need not have been hang'd like a Dog.
John Rackam, George Fetherston, Richard Corner [...] were severally indicted for Piracy, Robbery and Felony [...] and the Court [...] did pronounce Sentence of Death against them.
Whereas John Rackum [...] and two Women, by name Ann Fulford alias Bonny, & Mary Read, did [...] feloniously steal, take and carry away [...] a certain Sloop call'd the William.
Key Places
Main hideout of the Caribbean pirates in the early 18th century, nicknamed the “pirate republic.” Rackham lived there, received his pardon there, then stole the sloop William there in 1720.
Area where Rackham's sloop, at anchor, was surprised and boarded in October 1720 by the pirate hunter Jonathan Barnet. This is where the crew was captured.
Seat of the English colonial administration of Jamaica, where Rackham and his crew were tried for piracy in November 1720.
Major English colonial port where Rackham was hanged at Gallows Point on 18 November 1720, at the conclusion of his trial.
Small islet at the harbor entrance where Rackham's body was displayed in an iron cage to deter sailors. The reef bears his name today.