{UAH} What are some interesting figures in history that are underestimated or widely unknown to most?

What are some interesting figures in history that are underestimated or widely unknown to most?

Anne Bonny was born in the small fishing village of Kinsale, Ireland around 1700. She was born out of an illicit affair between a wealthy solicitor named William Cormac and a young servant girl named Mary Brennan. The first few years of Anne's life was shrouded in secrecy. William would dress Anne as a boy and passed her off as his nephew. He gave her a job as a clerk in his office, a job usually intended for a boy. Eventually, the secret got out and he moved his mistress and Anne to London and then on to America, to escape the scandal.

Soon after arriving in America, Mary Brennan succumbed to a fever and died. William went on to become a wealthy merchant after setting up a plantation in Charles Town, South Carolina and tried to raise Anne to become a respectful woman. Anne had flowing red hair and was considered pretty by most, but years of pretending to be a boy left Anne with a rebellious nature and a fiery temper. At the age of 13, she stabbed a young servant girl and when a friend of her fathers tried to rape her, she beat him to a pulp. At 16, she met a man named James Bonny and ran off to the Bahamas (a haven for pirates) after her father disapproved of her relationship. While living in the Bahamas, she met and fell in love with the famous pirate Calico Jack. Jack tried to buy Anne from her husband James, which was custom at the time. After the husband refused his offer, Anne Bonny and Calico Jack commandeered a ship and sailed off to terrorise the high seas.

While plundering ships and raiding coastal towns around the Caribbean, they teamed up with another female pirate named Mary Reed. Anne Bonny and Mary Reed became close friends and would fight hand in hand with their male counterparts. Women were considered bad luck on ship's, a tradition steeped in superstition and taken very seriously among the men who ruled the seas at the time. But Anne and Mary had managed to elevate themselves above the men they commanded.

October 1720, Ann Bonny, Mary Reed, and Calico Jack, along with their entire crew, were captured and sentenced to death. Jack and his crew were too drunk and didn't put up much of a fight. Anne's final words to Jack before he was hanged is a testament to her rebellious personality, "Had you fought like a man, you needn't be hung like a dog."

Anne and Mary were sentenced to death, but the two women were pregnant and pleaded their case to the Judge. The Judge postponed their executions until they would give birth. Mary died in childbirth and never made it to the gallows. What became of Anne bonny is speculation, but records suggest she died an old woman in Charles Town.

--

Gwokto La'Kitgum

Find Me on LinkedIn

----------------------------------------------------------------

"Unless the penis dies young it shall surely eat bearded meat" Chinua Achebe in: Arrow Of God

--
Disclaimer:Everyone posting to this Forum bears the sole responsibility for any legal consequences of his or her postings, and hence statements and facts must be presented responsibly. Your continued membership signifies that you agree to this disclaimer and pledge to abide by our Rules and Guidelines.To unsubscribe from this group, send email to: ugandans-at-heart+unsubscribe@googlegroups.com
---
You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups "Ugandans at Heart (UAH) Community" group.
To unsubscribe from this group and stop receiving emails from it, send an email to ugandans-at-heart+unsubscribe@googlegroups.com.
To view this discussion on the web visit https://groups.google.com/d/msgid/ugandans-at-heart/CAPudN9HiKVLWZnqSXyAdMgJFxX%2BxY0_G%2B4Zf2s5iYGRrtFC5gQ%40mail.gmail.com.