Martha Farley
One of the very few women to actually be put on trial for piracy, Martha Farley’s excuse in court was that she had no idea her husband Thomas had meant to raid a ship and kidnap its crew. According to Farley, her genius partner had decided to try his hand at piracy while bringing his wife and two children along for the ride. Whether or not this story was true, the court decided to acquit Farley because they didn’t want to make orphans of her children (especially as her husband had evaded capture and left her to take the fall).