Pirates: John 'Calico Jack' Rackham

Little is known about Rackham’s early life, and accounts of him seem to begin with his promotion to Captain.  Rackham was quartermaster under Charles Vane – one of the leaders of the New Providence ‘pirate republic’.  On 23rd November 1718 the crew encountered a French frigate in the Windward Passage, Vane making the decision to retreat rather than attack the ship.  Rackham challenged this decision, instigating a mutiny, and was elected by the crew as their new captain.  They purportedly left Vane on the shore of an unidentified beach and sailed away.

‘Calico Jack’ was so named due to his penchant for brightly coloured clothing – his supposedly tall and handsome figure was reputedly clothed in a notable fashion – striped calico shirt, jacket and trousers.  His crew flew the distinctive skull and crossed cutlasses flag and Rackham was probably the closest historical figure to the public and media perception of pirates today.  In fact, Rackham was not a very bloodthirsty or prolific pirate, preferring to concentrate on attacking fishing boats and small costal vessels.  However, his flamboyant image and his inclusion of two distinctive female pirates into his crew mean that Rackham has gone down in history.

Rackham and his crew, in a break from their usual minor exploits, stole the William on 22nd August 1720.  Having appropriated this 12-ton sloop from the safe confines of Nassau harbour, Rackham proceeded to hoist the Skull and cutlass flag and attack several small vessels on a cruise from the Bahamas to Jamaica.  This infuriated the Governor of New Providence, Captain Woodes Rogers, and a proclamation was issued against Rackham and his crew in the Boston Gazette on 5th September 1720, declaring them pirates.  Rogers sent Jonathan Barnet, captain of the Tyger, to hunt down the brigands.  In fact, two well armed ships holding a total of 45 men were dispatched to take down Rackham’s crew.  They located Rackham’s ship off Negril Point, Jamaica, and found the crew to be, for the most part, the worse for drink and disinclined to fight for their freedom.

Rackham, sailing master George Fetherston, quartermaster Richard Corner and eight other men were tried and convicted of piracy on 16th November 1720, before the court at Spanish Town, Jamaica.  The crew were sentenced to death by hanging.  Rackham was hanged on 18th November 1720 at Gallows Point, Port Royal.  His mistress, Anne Bonny, witnessed his execution and was reported to have said “she was sorry to see him there, but if he had fought like a man, he need not have been hanged like a dog”.  After his execution, Rackham’s body was hung from a gibbet on Deadman’s Cay, near to Port Royal.  Today this islet is known as Rackham’s Cay, in his memory.