Olde English Criminals

Following on from the post about old English jobs that have faded away, I happened upon a list of terms for old specialist criminals from the eighteenth century, long since disused.

I found them in the 2008 QI Annual that covers the letter E, so all credit to QI for finding these. You can pick up the annual for a modest sum on Amazon.

 

However I’ve added to QI’s original list of 16 with a bundle of extra ones from The Lexicon of Thieves Cant (based on the 1811 Dictionary of the Vulgar Tongue. A Dictionary of Buckish Slang, University Wit and Pickpocket Eloquence and also Captain Grose's 1785 dictionary).

Criminal name	Description
Adam Tiler	a pickpocket's associate, who receives the stolen goods, and runs off with them.
Angler	pilferer or petty thief who, with a stick having a hook at the end, steals goods out of shop windows, grates etc. Also someone who 'draws in' victims in order to rob them.
Autem Diver	pickpocket who operates in churches and temples.
Autem Mort	a female beggar who hires children in order to inspire charity.
Bawdy-Basket	woman posing as sellers of pins and needles or pornographic books to disguise her real game, which was stealing linen clothes off hedges.
Bene Feaker	counterfeiter.
Bene Feaker of Gybes	counterfeiter of false passes.
Blue Pigeon	thief who steals lead off houses and other buildings.
Bob	shoplifter's assistant. One who receives stolen goods.
Bubber	a thief who steals from taverns.
Buffer-Nabber	professional dog-thief who killed the animal to sell its skin.
Bully-Huff	hung round brothels, surprising and threatening the customers by claiming that the woman they were in bed with was their wife. In between times, they intercepted lucky gamblers as they left the casino to relieve them of their winnings.
Bung-Nipper	stole the gold buttons from cloaks and the silver tassles from hatbands.
Clank Napper	a silver tankard stealer.
Clapperdogeon	professional vagabond, a varlet who wore a patched cloak and three hats, one on top of the other.
Dommerer	beggar posing as an escaped slave who had had their tongues cut out by the Turks for refusing to accept Islam.
Glimmerer	woman who went around in floods of tears claiming that her house had been burned down; alternatively she set other people's houses on fire, in order to loot them in the confusion.
Figure Dancer	one who alters the numbers on notes of credit or other paper money.
Footpad	a common thief.
Foyst	a pickpocket.
Jack in a Box	a card-sharp.
Lully Prigger	thief who steals wet clothes off clothes lines
Mumper	genteel beggar.
Napper of Naps	a sheep stealer.
Pad Borrower	a horse thief.
Poulterer	a man who opens mail and steals the money enclosed within.
Prigger	either a member of a three-man shoplifting team or a horse-thief.
Prigger of Prancers	a horse thief.
Prigger of Cacklers	a henhouse thief.
Rattling Mumper	beggar who begs from coaches.
Reader Merchant	a pickpocket.
Ruffler	armed robber or beggar disguised as an out of work soldiers.
Rum Bob	skilled apprentice thief.
Rum-Bubber	specialised in stealing silver tankards from taverns.
Rum Diver	skilled pickpocket.
Rum-Dubber	skilled lock-picker.
Rum File	skilled pickpocket.
Rum Padder	skilled highwayman.
Swaddler	not only stole from their victim but beat them up as well, sometimes murdering them into the bargain.
Swig-Man	covered their roguery by pretending to be an itinerant haberdasher.
Strowler	con man who convinced country gentlemen to 'lend' him money so he could go to London.
Tatmonger	card-sharp.
Tayle drawer	a thief who steals swords from a mans belt.
Wiper drawer	a thief who steals handkerchiefs.