John Rackham

John Rackham (hanged 18 November 1720) was an English pirate operating in the Bahamas and Jamaica during the early 18th century. Although only referred to as John Rackham in primary sources, he is best known today by the likely fictional nickname Calico Jack. Rackham was active in 1720, towards the end of the Golden Age of Piracy, and is most remembered for having two female pirate crew members: Anne Bonny and Mary Read in addition to a fictional flag. Most of Rackham's life prior to piracy is unknown. The first biography of Rackham comes from Captain Charles Johnson's 1724 book A General History of the Pyrates. According to Johnson, Rackham was a pirate from England who served under Charles Vane before becoming captain. Though Johnson's version of events has become generally accepted, there is little evidence to support it. Rackham first appears in records around August 1720 after stealing merchant John Ham's sloop from Nassau harbor on 22 August. After a short two-month run, Rackham was captured by Jonathan Barnet, a former English privateer, on 22 October 1720. Rackham was put on trial by Sir Nicholas Lawes, Governor of Jamaica, and hanged on the 18th of November that year in Port Royal, Jamaica.