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What do we really know about the notorious pirate duo, and how have later accounts shaped our perception of female pirates?

Dare you encounter Blackbeard, Ned Low, Captain Henry Morgan, Anne Bonny and Mary Read?

Dr Rebecca Simon delves deeper into the lives of two of the most infamous female pirates, Anne Bonny and Mary Read, who terrorised the Caribbean in and around Jamaica

A new artwork by Linnea Maertens questions what we think we know about notorious female pirates Anne Bonny and Mary Read. See it on display in Pirates at the National Maritime Museum

Welcome to the merciless and thieving world of pitiless pirates, full of flintlock pistols, pieces-of-eight and Jolly Rogers - and plenty of fodder for great story writing.

Throughout history, there have been dramatic tales of women sailing the oceans. Many of these stories begin from the Golden Age of Piracy (1650 to 1720), but there are accounts of female pirates dating back thousands of years. In this article, we'll explore the lives of some of the notable pirates prowling our oceans.

The blockbuster Pirates exhibition at the National Maritime Museum ran until 4 January 2026