Little is known of Jack Rackham's days before piracy other than he was English and born around 1682. The first record of him part of the crew of Charles Vane ship Ranger in 1718. When the ship came across a large French man-of-war Vane ordered a retreat and Jack Rackham disagreed and most of the men went along with the idea to capture it with only 15 taking the side of Vane. This warreneted Vane to exert his authority as captian that his choice was absolute and not to be challenged to which a vote was called for and led to Vane being expelled with his supporters in another ship with ample provisions. Now in command Rackham left for the Bahamas under with chance of gaining a pardon from Governor Woodes Rogers to become a pirate hunter. During this time, he had romantic relations with Anne Bonny the wife of James Bonny and after pleaded ing restitution from the governor had her put to the last for her indecretion.

After Rackham tried to ease tension by offrering James wealth for her relase of marriage vows to which the Anne chose to leave with Jack and escape to Nassau and she later left for Cuba to have his child. With the threat from Jack Rackham to plunder more ships governor Rogers issued a warrent in 1720 for his arrest and thus began the search for him by hunters Jonathan Barnet and Jean Bonadvis.he was captured and sent to Spanish Town, Jamaica the same year and all parties were tried and found guilty of piracy to which the punishement was death by hanging. The sentence of Jack Rackham was carried out in November 1720 and after being hanged was put on display at the gateway of Port Royal and later named Rackham's Cay. Since Anne Bonny and Mary Read were both part of his crew at the time and sentanced to hnage were instead given leincy as both professed to being with child.