Interview with the Pirate

A Rebel Portrait of Mary Read

On a sunny Saturday morning I trek to a discreet harbor locale on the coast to meet with pirate Mary Read. This being my first interview assignment with Rebel, I must admit I am a little nervous. Never having met a pirate before, I don’t quite know what to expect. Mary sent word by courier yesterday to let me know that she will meet me at ten o’clock in the morning. I arrive at five minutes to ten and find her already waiting. She greets me with a firm handshake and “How do you do?” Dressed in a simple cotton frock with minimal lace and ribbons, Mary looks the part of a domestic servant or lower class Englishwoman, not at all what I imagine a pirate to be. When I tell her this, she laughs. It turns out she wears dresses often, and really only wears breeches during skirmishes or raids on other ships (1). Because the weather is so nice, we decide to conduct our interview on deck. We find a quiet corner on the boat and settle in.


R: You’ve masqueraded as a boy, joined a sailing ship, become a pirate, and challenged a man to a duel-and won. You’re obviously a very rebellious woman for the Eighteenth Century. How do you feel about being named one of Rebel’s Women of the Century?

MR: You know, I never really though ot myself as a rebel, at least not for passing myself off as a boy, like you mentioned. I mean, growing up this was just my way of life. My mother dressed me like a boy almost from the time I was born, so I grew up acting like a boy (2). It wasn’t like I conciously rebelled agains the social norm, it was just the way things were.

R: Your mother dressed you like a boy?

MR: Mmm-hmm. See, my mother and father had a son who was born a few years before I was. Then my father, who was a sailor, went to sea and he died. So my mother had an affair and became pregnant with me. After I was born, my brother also died. My mother had no means of survival except by getting money from my father’s mother, my grandmother, so in order to receive that money my mother passed me off as my dead brother. She dressed me in boy’s clothing and I acted the part. In fact [laughs] I really never knew that I was a girl until I was older and my mother told me! But I liked my life and everything so I just kept it up, even after my grandmother died (3).

"I've always been pretty strong and a good worker, so being a sailor seemed like something I could be good at - and I am. Sailing is hard work, even for men, so the fact that I could do everything just as well as they could really showed them that I'm not inferior in any way."

R: What about your other acts of rebellion, like becoming a sailor?


MR: I guess that was more of a concious rebellion. It was something I knew I wasn’t allowed to do because of my gender, but that I went ahead and did anyway. I didn’t give a d*** about what I was or wasn’t supposed to do, I just wanted to do what seemed like fun, you know? Whatever would give me satisfaction and make me happy. I’ve always been pretty strong and a good worker, so being a sailor seemed like something I could be good at-and I am. Sailing is hard work, even for men (4), so the fact that I could do everything just as well as they could really showed them that I’m not inferior in any way.

R: So they knew that you were a woman?


MR:
[laughs] Not exactly…When I first went to sea I concealed my identity from everyone. I just did my thing and they did theirs and we got along fine, they all respected me as just another one of the guys. But then somehow someone found out and told everyone. They were a little weird around me at first, but after a few days things went back to normal. It was nice because after that I didn’t have to pretend anymore, yet they still respected me. Because I had already proven myself, they accepted that I was their equal in every way. If anything I think it brought us all closer together because I think they have an added respect for me now.


R: It seems like you’ve made some really good friends on the ship!


MR:
Definitely. In fact, I met my husband on one of the ships. After I revealed myself as a woman we started to fall in love and then got married. He was a great guy, but he wasn’t as strong as some of the others and he got sick and died (5).


R:
That must have been hard on you.

MR: It was, a little, I mean you always feel a sense of sadness when someone close to you dies. But you have to realize that life goes on. I can’t wallow in misery forever over some guy, I have to live my life and enjoy it as much as I can. You move on. You find new interests. I’m not saying he was replaceable, everyone is unique and special and I’ll always remember him. But it’s foolish to think that your only happiness is going to come from one person and now that they’re gone you can’t go on. I don’t believe that.

R: What do you believe?

MR: I believe in the power of myself, in what I believe I can do. I’m no bigger or stronger or nastier than any other pirate out there, but if I believe I can do something, I can do it. There was one time when this helmsman, who was below me in rank, decided to goagainst my orders, and he slapped me in the face. So I challenged him to a duel, once we reached land (6).

R: What happened?

MR: Well, we landed at this deserted little stretch of beach, and we both drew our pistols. And he went to shoot me, but his pistol didn’t fire! So I knew I had him. And instead of shooting him straight away, I decided to have some fun with him. So I walked over to him, opened my shirt, and showed him my breasts and said, “You wretch, you knew I was a woman and yet dared to strike me. This woman shall now kill you, to make an example for all who would dare to insult her.” (7) And I shot him right then and there.

"You wretch, you knew I was a woman and yet dared to strike me. This woman shall now kill you, to make an example for all who would dare to insult her."

R: Don’t you think that’s a little bit hypocritical? I mean, you want to be considered equal with the men but you complain when someone hits you because of your gender?


MR:
It’s not so much about being a woman, it’s about respect. If you want to hit me in a fight, go ahead, but to hit me because you don’t want to take orders shows no respect. Also, not all women are as tough as I am. If he thinks it’s okay to hit me just like he hits the other guys and I let him, who’s to say he won’t hit his wife or lover, who may not be that tough? By telling him not to hit me as a woman, it was telling him that there is no excuse for violence against women.


R:
Speaking of other women, what about your relationship with Irish pirate Ann Bonny? There are rumors that the two of you are lesbians.

MR: I’m not going to say that I am or that I am not a lesbian, because I don’t like labels. I mean, I’m biologically female but have lived my life as a male. I’m not your average girl.Yes, it’s true that Ann and I became very good friends, best friends. And we did go to bed together. That’s how the gossip started, because someone found us in bed (8). When you’re on a ship with all men and you meet another woman who is so similar to you, who grew up dressing like a boy and has had the same sorts of experiences that you’ve had, you form a connection. That’s how it was for Ann and me. We felt comfortable together. We enjoyed each other’s company. But we also both had husbands. It’s not so much about preferring one sex over the other, it’s just who you happen to connect with.

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