Green’s Dictionary of Slang

(UK Und.) a mendicant villain who used his abilities of reading and writing (Latin) to forge counterfeit begging licences.

c.1566		Harman Caveat for Common Cursetours in Viles & Furnivall (1907) 60: You shall vnderstande that a larkeman hathe his name of a Iarke, which is a scale in their Language, as one should make writinges and set scales for lycences and pasporte. And for trouth there is none that goeth aboute the countrey [...] that can eyther wryte so good and fayre a hand, either indite so learnedly.
1592		Groundworke of Conny-catching Ch. 15: A Jarkeman and a Patrico be in the olde briefe of vagabond.
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.
1665		Head Eng. Rogue I 39: The rest in order thus [...] Swigmen, Jarkemen, Patri-Coes.
1674		Head Canting Academy (2nd edn) 4: Nor will I suffer him [...] to be abused by any strange Abrams, Rufflers, Hookers, Palliards, Swadlars, Irish Toyls, Swig-men, Whip-Jacks, Jark-men, Bawdy-baskets, Dommerars, Clapperdogeons, Patricoes, or Curtalls.
c.1698		B.E. Dict. Canting Crew n.p.: Jarke-men c. the Fourteenth Order of the Canting Tribe; also those who make Counterfeit Licences and Passes, and are well paid by the other Beggers for their Pains.
1707		J. Shirley Triumph of Wit 186: Not suffering them to be abused by any strange Pallards, Ruffres, Hookers, Swadlers, Irish Toyls, Dummerers, Jarkmen, Whipjacks, Glimmerers, Maunders, or the like, or any other Out-lyers.
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) 51: No whipjack, palliard, patrico; / No jarkman, be he high or low.
1785, 1788, 1796		Grose Classical Dict. of the Vulgar Tongue n.p.: Jarke-Men, those, who fabricate counterfeit passes, licences, and certificates for beggars.
1811		Lex. Balatronicum.
1823		Egan Grose’s Classical Dict. of the Vulgar Tongue.
1834		(con. 1737–9) W.H. Ainsworth Rookwood (1857) 175: No jarkman, be he high or low.
1859		Matsell Vocabulum 46: jarkman One who writes characters for servants, begging petitions, etc.
1861		(con. 15C) C. Reade Cloister and Hearth (1864) II 33: Come with me to the ‘rotboss’ there, and I’ll show thee all our folk and their lays [...] ‘Rufflers,’ whipjalks, [sic] ‘dommerars,’ ‘glymmerars,’ jarkmen,’ ‘patricos,’ swadders,’ ‘autem morts,’ and ‘walking morts’.
1871–82		B.M. Carew Life and Adventures.
1882		Dly Dispatch (Richmond, VA) 1 Nov. 3/3: A ‘jarkman’ is one who writes false letters of recommendation.
1895		C. Crowe Aus. Sl. Dict. 39: Jarkman, one who writes begging letters.