18th century Women in Men's Clothing.

Ann Bonny.

I started researching woodswomen, in the hope of attracting more Ladies to our group who wished to participate in 18th century Historical Trekking. I found Ann Bailey, & Mrs Pentry, both of whome spent considerable time in the woods, and both wore men's clothing.

Then whilst searching pirate clothing for someone else, I came across some pirate women:

One of the witnesses at their trial, a woman called Dorothy Thomas, who had been taken prisoner by the pirates, said the women "wore Mens Jackets, and long Trousers, and Handkerchiefs tied about their Heads, and that each of them had a Machet[e] and Pistol in their Hands." Despite the fact Read and Bonny were in men's clothing, their prisoner was no fool; she said that "the Reason of her knowing and believing them to be Women was, by the largeness of their Breasts."