▁fict ional . ▁ ▁Auth entic ity ▁The ▁earliest ▁known ▁reference ▁to ▁Charlotte ▁de ▁Ber ry ▁comes ▁from ▁publish er ▁Edward ▁Lloyd ' s ▁ 1 8 3 6 ▁“ pen ny ▁dread ful ” ▁called ▁History ▁of ▁the ▁Pir ates . ▁Lloyd ▁was ▁known ▁for ▁producing ▁other ▁similar ▁comp il ations ▁of ▁shock ing ▁and ▁g ory ▁tales , ▁often ▁pl ag iar ized . ▁There ' s ▁no ▁evidence ▁for ▁de ▁Ber ry ' s ▁existence ▁in ▁ 1 7 th - century ▁sources , ▁though ▁many ▁elements ▁of ▁her ▁story ▁have ▁par alle ls ▁in ▁other ▁literature ▁popular ▁in ▁Lloyd ' s ▁day ▁by ▁authors ▁such ▁as ▁Mar ry at , ▁Vol taire , ▁and ▁Bul wer - L y tt on . ▁Re - t ell ings ▁of ▁de ▁Ber ry ' s ▁tale ▁after ▁ 1 8 3 6 ▁have ▁almost ▁always ▁mirror ed ▁Lloyd ' s ▁original , ▁sometimes ▁with ▁slight ▁variations . ▁ ▁History ▁In ▁her ▁mid - to - late ▁te ens , ▁she ▁fell ▁in ▁love ▁with ▁a ▁sail or ▁and , ▁against ▁her ▁parents ' ▁will , ▁married ▁him . ▁Dis gu ised ▁as ▁a ▁man , ▁she ▁followed ▁him ▁on ▁board ▁his ▁ship ▁and ▁fought ▁alongside ▁him . ▁Her ▁true ▁identity ▁was ▁discovered ▁by ▁an ▁officer ▁who ▁kept ▁this ▁knowledge ▁to ▁himself , ▁wanting ▁de ▁Ber ry . ▁The ▁officer ▁then ▁assigned ▁her ▁husband ▁to ▁the ▁most ▁dangerous ▁jobs , ▁which ▁he ▁surv ived ▁thanks ▁to ▁his ▁wife ' s ▁help .