Major Stede Bonnet was one of the more unique pirates commonly known as the "gentleman pirate." His background was not that of a typical pirate and he was not that entirely successful as one either but he became well known for his actions, in particular when he traveled with the notorious Blackbeard. Contrary to modern popular belief, Bonnet was also known as one of the very few pirates who had prisoners "walk the plank."

Bonnet was a retired Major in the King's Guards who lived with his wife on his large estate in Barbados. He was a proper well-educated man who was well respected by those who knew him.

Then sometime in 1717, Bonnet became a pirate even though he knew nothing of seamanship. He earned the nickname of the "gentleman pirate" because of his cultured background which he continued to portay while he was a pirate - he was well groomed and wore fancy clothing. It has been suggested that Bonnet snapped one day as a result of his wife's constant nagging. At that point he decided he had enough so he bought a sloop and outfitted it with ten guns using his own money (an unheard of practice for a pirate!) He rounded up a crew of 70 for his newly christened sloop Revenge and set sail for his new pirate life.

Sailing of the coasts of Virginia and the Carolinas, Bonnet somehow managed to plunder several ships even though he lacked maritime experience. The crew quickly realized this lack of skill in Bonnet and they began to get restless. About this time, Bonnet sighted another pirate ship off the Carolina coast which turned out to be none other than Blackbeard. The two captains agreed to work as partners.

Bonnet soon left Blackbeard. He was able to plunder several ships in the following months. Unknown to him, pirates were once again causing trouble near Charleston. Outraged by the recent string of pirate attacks outside Charleston, the Governor planned to rid the menacing pirates. Colonel William Rhett led two sloops for the pirate hunt. In late September 1718, the two privateer sloops discovered three pirate ships. The 5 hour battle ended suddenly when the pirates rose the white flag to surrender. Rhett was suprised to find that the pirate captain was Major Stede Bonnet on one of the ships. Bonnet and his captured crew were returned to Charleston where he was well known pirate.

The 34 pirates were put on trial in Charleston. In the end, 30 out of the 34 were convicted and sentenced to death, including Major Stede Bonnet. While in prison, Bonnet sent a letter to the Governor for forgiveness and promising reform, but he was eventually hanged at White Point, Charleston in November 1718.