Mary Read
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Mary Read (unknown – 1721) was an English pirate and member of the Assassin Order, trained by the Mentor of the Caribbean Assassins, Ah Tabai.
She posed as a male pirate under the name of James Kidd, an illegitimate son of the late William Kidd, and was one of the founding members of the pirate republic at Nassau.
Biography
Early Life
Little is known about Mary's childhood years; it was suggested by Charles Johnson, author of A General History of the Pyrates, that Mary's mother began dressing her in boy's clothes at an early age to pass her off as the son of another man, but the legitimacy of this claim is unknown.
In her teen years, Mary began a career as a sailor that eventually saw he granted a position with the British Navy. There she met her first husband, a Flemish soldier and comrade; however, he was killed soon after their wedding. With little life left for her in Europe, she set sail for the West Indies, where she resumed the practice of dressing as a man and took on the alias of James Kidd.
Life of Piracy
In 1715, Mary, as Kidd, met with captains Edward Kenway, Edward Thatch and Benjamin Hornigold in the town of Nassau, when Edward arrived with his quartermaster, Adewale, and their new ship, the Jackdaw. Edward expressed an interest in locating a place called the Observatory, which Mary claimed to know of, likening it to wikipedia:The Fountain of Youth. Edward subsequently followed Mary to Andreas Island to take part in a lucrative plantation raid, and the two struck up a friendly camaraderie.
Following the taking of Nassau by pirate forces, Edward, Thatch, Hornigold and Mary met again to discuss how to better protect their "Pirate Republic" from British recapture. Thatch proposed they capture a Spanish Galleon, which Edward accomplished by assassinating the Templar Julien du Casse, allowing Thatch to commandeer his ship. Edward then took the island of Great Inagua for himself.
There, Mary led Edward to a Mayan Stela in the jungle, asking him to complete the puzzle and goading him into using Eagle Sense, which she described as a "kind of Shimmering" and "the light of life." After confirming her suspicions about Edward's abilities, she showed him a set of tunnels leading to du Casse's manor, where they discovered maps pertaining to the location of Assassin bureaus throughout the Caribbean. Edward admitted to giving the maps to the Templars himself, and Mary, perturbed, suggested he go and warn the targeted Assassins.
As she was about to leave port, Edward claimed that she knew more about the Observatory than she had previously suggested. In response, Mary advised him to meet her in Tulum in several weeks' time.
Tulum and the Sage
Weeks later, Mary rendezvoused with Edward near the Assassin stronghold on Tulum, where he angrily berated her for forcing him to sneak through hostile territory, past the Assassin sentries. Though the Assassin Mentor, Ah Tabai, was furious with Edward for his ignorant collaboration with the Templars and killing the Assassins in Havana, Mary calmly informed him of Edward's possession of "the Sense" and requested Edward be allowed inside an important Mayan temple. After claiming he would recognize the Sage, Bartholomew Roberts, if he saw the man again, Edward was permitted into the ruin. Mary led him to the central antechamber, explaining the nature of the war between Assassins and Templars, and the Creed. They eventually unlocked a bust of Sage, which Edward confirmed exactly resembled Roberts.
Returning to the compound to confirm their discovery with Ah Tabai, Mary and Edward discovered that British soldiers had taken the compound, capturing many Assassins and Edward's crew. After fighting off the British, Mary spotted Laurens Prins, a Dutch slaver and an elusive Assassin target, leaving the area by ship.
Pursuit of Laurens Prins
The next year, Mary ran into Edward in Kingston, both of them following Prins and Laureano de Torres y Ayala, the Templar Grand Master. Mary was prepared to assassinate her two targets, but Edward restrained her, urging her to wait until Prins led them to Roberts, whom the man held prisoner. Mary reluctantly consented to go along with his plan; however, Prins detected them, forcing the two to run. Mary attempted to assassinate Prins against Edward's wishes, but he forcibly prevented her from doing so, insisting they try to use Prins to reach Roberts again. Enraged, Mary nonetheless agreed to rendezvous with Edward at Prin's manor.
That night, the two met atop a windmill off Prins' property. Surveying the manor, Mary noted that it would take more than stealth for them to reach Prins. She suggested that she distract the guards, giving Edward a chance to neutralize them. She then removed her bandanna and reddened her lips with her own blood, revealing her identity as a woman, much to Edward's surprise.
Mary approached the estate's gates, feigning injury, and killed the guards that came to her aid. She then infiltrated the manor and found Roberts, only to discover he was working for Prins. He held her at gunpoint at the same time Edward assassinated Prins, but she escaped after Roberts informed Edward of his true allegiance. Roberts then shot the alarm bell and made his escape, followed shortly thereafter by his two would-be rescuers.
After reaching safety and regrouping with Edward, Mary confessed her true name at his request. However, she warned him not to tell a soul, or she would "unman" him.
Interim Period
In 1717, Mary arrived in Inagua to find Edward recovering from a wild party he had hosted, reacting with disgust to his continued indifference to finding a greater purpose. The two did not meet again until after Edward escaped Isla Providencia, where he and Charles Vane had been marooned by Jack Rackham; he returned to find that Rackham had barely lasted a few months as captain before Adewale and Mary overpowered him.
Edward then returned to his search for Roberts in hopes the man would lead to the Observatory. Mary pleaded with him to forget about the gold and instead work with the Assassins, but he ignored her.
During Edward's search, Mary became better acquainted with Anne Bonny, a barmaid in Nassau, with whom she struck up a lasting bond. Anne's partner, Rackham, threatened by Mary's attentions, attempted to start a brawl with her. Unwilling to take part in a meaningless altercation, Mary was compelled to reveal her true gender, and soon her real identity was well-known throughout the West Indies.
Capture and Trial
In October of 1720, while she was sailing as a part of Jack Rackham's crew, their ship was attacked by a "King's Ship," a sloop that was commissioned by the Governor of Jamaica with the intent to take out Rackham. Being that most of the crew were drunk, many of the pirates provided little resistance, with only Mary, Anne, and an unknown man fighting to their full potential.
Eventually, the crew was imprisoned and sentenced to be hanged. Bonny and Read escaped execution for a time by claiming "benefit of the belly," a temporary pardon for pregnant women, since British law prevented them from being executed. They were moved to a prison in Kingston, and four months later, Mary gave birth; her child was taken away, and due to the prison's unsanitary conditions, she became ill.
Mary and Anne were soon rescued by Edward and Ah Tabai, who successfully infiltrated the prison and took out the guards stationed inside. However, Mary was too ill to leave, despite Edward's insistence. With her dying breath, she asked him to redeem himself for her sake, and said she would always be with him. Refusing to leave her behind, Edward carried her body to Ah Tabai's boat, where it was taken to Tulum for burial.
Subsequent Appearances
Following Mary's death, Edward descended into a drunken delirium, wherein he fruitlessly pursued Roberts through various dream-like locations. In the final portion of the dream, Mary stood on the Jackdaw with Edward as he steered it toward an island, shouting at him to change course "before it's too late."
During the epilogue, as Edward prepared to leave the Caribbean for the final time, he saw an image of his friends seated around a table together; Mary was there, in her disguise as James Kidd.
Trivia
- The father of Mary's child was the unknown man who fought beside her and Anne on Rackham's ship, as revealed by Anne upon questioning by Edward.
Reference