Calico Jack

English pirate (1682-1720)

Source-basedStable

Lived 1682–1720, aged 38

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Wikipedia
43 languages
Cross-language footprint
Era
1682–1720
Aged 38

Summary

Updated 2026-05-29

Pirate captain known for sailing with two women—Anne Bonny and Mary Read—during the tail end of the Caribbean's golden age in 1720. John Rackham's "Calico Jack" nickname stuck, though historians debate if he actually earned it.

Biography

About

John Rackham 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.

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