Green’s Dictionary of Slang

(UK Und.) a mendicant villain who poses as a friar and claims, as such, to beg alms for a hospital or charitable institution; he specializes in poor, gullible women.

c.1561		Awdeley Fraternitye of Vacabondes in Viles & Furnivall (1907) 4: A Frater goeth wyth a like Lisence to beg for some Spittlehouse or Hospital. Their pray is commonly vpon poore women as they go and come to the Markets.
c.1566		Harman Caveat for Common Cursetours in Viles & Furnivall (1907) 45: Some of these Fraters will cary blacke boxes at their gyrdel, wher in they haue a briefe of the Queenes maiesties letters patentes, geuen to suche [a] poore spitlehouse for the reliefe of the poore there, whiche briefe is a coppie of the letters patentes, and vtterly fained, if it be in paper or in parchment without the great seale.
1592		Groundworke of Conny-catching [as cit. c.1566].
1608		Dekker Belman of London D1: A Frater is a brother of as damnd a broode as the rest: his office is to trauell with a long wallet at his backe, and a black boxe at his girdle, wherein is a patent to beg from some Hospitall or Spittle house.
1622		Beaumont & Fletcher Beggar’s Bush II i: Jarkman, or Patrico, Cranke, or Clapper-dudgeon, Frater, or Abram-man; I speak to all That stand in fair election for the title Of king of beggars.
1669		W. Winstanley New Help To Discourse 132: Fraters, are such as with a counterfeit Patent beg for some Hospital or Spitle-house, they are dangerous persons for any to meet alone, by reason of the frequent robberies which they commit.
1674		Head Canting Academy (2nd edn) 53: [as cit. 1669] .
1688		R. Holme Academy of Armory Ch. iii item 68b: Give me leave to give you the names (as in their Canting Language they call themselves) of all (or most of such) as follow the Vagabond Trade, according to their Regiments or Divisions, as [...] Faytors, or Fraters.
c.1698		B.E. Dict. Canting Crew n.p.: Fraters c. the eighth Order of Canters, such as Beg with a Sham-patents or Briefs for Spitals, Prisons, Fires, &c.
1707		J. Shirley Triumph of Wit 183: The Fraters are such as forge Briefs or counterfeit Patents, pretending to beg for decay’d Hospitals, Losses by Fire, and the like; but have been so often detected and punished, that scarce any thing but the Name remains at this Day; for it being a publick Fraud, it is more narrowly pry’d into than those that are Personal and Private.
1725		New Canting Dict. [as cit. c.1698].
1737, 1759, 1760, 1776		Bailey Universal Etym. Eng. Dict. [as cit. c.1698].
1749		B.M. Carew ‘The Oath of the Canting Crew’ in Farmer Musa Pedestris (1896) 50: Rogue or rascal, frater, maunderer, / Irish toyle, or other wanderer.
1785, 1788, 1796		Grose Classical Dict. of the Vulgar Tongue n.p.: Fraters, vagabonds who beg with sham patents, or briefs for hospitals, fires, inundations, &c.
1811		Lex. Balatronicum.
1823		Egan Grose’s Classical Dict. of the Vulgar Tongue.