Green’s Dictionary of Slang

1. horse-stealing; thus prigging law, horse-stealing as a criminal profession.

1591		Greene Second Part of Conny-Catching in Grosart (1881–3) X 75: To the effecting of this base villany of prigging, or horse stealing, there must of necessity be two at the least, and that is the Prigger and the Martar.
1608		Dekker Belman of London G1: The Prigging Law, whose grounds are the Cleanly and cunning stealing of horses.
1680		Head Eng. Rogue IV 152: Which Arts are divided into that of High-Padding, Low-Padding, Cloy-Filing, Bung-Nipping, Prancers Prigging, Duds-Lifting, Rhum-Napping, Cove-Cuffing, Mort-Trapping, Stamp-Flashing, Ken-Milling, Jerk the Naskin.

2. (also prigging lay, ...rig) pilfering, small-time thieving [lay n.³ (1)/rig n.² (1)].

1800		Sporting Mag. Apr. XVI 26/2: Three boys brought in for prigging of wipes.
1812		Vaux Memoirs in McLachlan (1964) 77: Our society was increased by several new chums before the sessions, and as these persons were some degrees above the common class of thieves, I found much satisfaction in their conversation. There were indeed among them some of the first characters upon the town, leading men in the various branches of prigging they professed; both toby-gills, buz-gloaks, cracksmen, &c., but from their good address and respectable appearance, nobody would suspect their real vocation.
1821		‘An Amateur’ Real Life in London I 125: The system of prigging will be acted on sometimes by the very party you are speaking to.
1829		‘Pickpocket’s Chaunt’ (trans.) ‘En roulant de vergne en vergne’ in Vidocq (1829) IV 259: As from ken to ken I was going, / Doing a bit on the prigging lay.
1837–8		‘The Fine Young Common Prostitute’ in Cuckold’s Nest 41: She and her bully big / Would oft go out together, / He upon the prigging rig, / And she to sell her leather.
1842		Flash (NY) 3 July n.p.: Notwithstanding his branch of prigging was of the lowest order, he had always a few ‘bob’ on hand.
1845		R.S. Surtees Hillingdon Hall I 275: [note] This is part of Mr. Jorrocks’s prigging. It will be found nearly word for word in one of Nimrod’s agricultural articles.
1859		G.A. Sala Twice Round the Clock 215: Seven years I got for priggin’.
1867		‘Ladies Don’t go Thieving’ in Henderson Victorian Street Ballads (1937) 46: This lady in her rigging / Went out so grand, you understand, / To have a turn at prigging.
1867		Nat. Police Gaz. (NY) 16 Nov. 2/2: A ‘gun’ who had been ‘jugged’ for ‘prigging’ at the polls.
1877		J. Greenwood Dick Temple II 263: Prigging ain’t so good a game.
1889		Clarkson & Richardson Police! 344: It is a rough and ready method of ‘prigging’.
1895		C. Crowe Aus. Sl. Dict. 61: Prigging Lay, thieving business.