Neptune's Daughters: History's Most Notorious Women Pirates

by Barbara Marriott

A young college student acquires an old chest filled with ancient papers during her spring break on a Bahamian island. The ancient papers are the original writings and reports on historic women pirates dating back to the 1300. Is this chest the greatest pirate treasure ever discovered, or is it the biggest maritime hoax? In the chest are letters written by Jeanne de Clisson in the 1300, The Lioness of Brittany turned to piracy to avenge the brutal beheading of her husband. In 1519 Sayyida al Hurr recorded her deeds, from the horror of fleeing Spain to her rule as the political leader of the richest port in Morocco, and as a feared pirate and partner to the pirate Red Beard. Grace O'Malley plundered merchant ships in the Irish Seas and Atlantic Ocean. She was her clan's leader and protector who fought battles against the British and even faced down Queen Elizabeth I. In the late sixteen hundreds and early seventeen hundreds two female pirates terrorized the shipping in the Caribbean: the beautiful Jacquotte Delahaye aka Back From the Dead Red, and Marie-Anne Dominique du Pres, called Anne Dieu-le-Veut, pirate partner and wife of the famous pirate Laurens de Graaff. Anne Bonny, while awaiting execution, wrote of her pirating days with Mary Read and Calico Jack. American pirate Rachael Wall did her pirating in the late 1700s around the New England coast, but was caught and hung for stealing a bonnet. One of the most humorous, but deadly pirates, was Sadie Farrell, The Goat, who practiced the fine art of piracy on New York City rivers in 1869. The two cruelest, and most efficient female pirates were Chinese. Ching Shih, a former prostitute controlled thousands of pirates in the early 1800, and Lai Choi San, who pirated in the China Sea prior to WW II. The pirates' stories are told, in one form or another, by the papers in the chest. The college student, now a college professor, has treasured these writings, and added to the collection over the years. Now as she returns with her treasured chest to the site of her prized acquisition, she hopes reading the papers in this famous pirate location will give her a better understanding of these infamous, courage, but unique women.

256 pages, Paperback

Published October 21, 2019

Reviews

[Kayce B · Rating 4 out of 5]

What a fascinating read! Seems silly to me now but, until I found this while browsing through the Libby app, I had had no idea there were female pirates. This was both entertaining and educational :)

[Millie · Rating 3 out of 5]

Not my usual read but it was enjoyable. Had fun reading about female pirates for once. Definitely gonna have to recommend this to others.