Green’s Dictionary of Slang

a gypsy wagon; also attrib.; thus vardo-gill, a waggoner.

1812		Vaux Vocab. of the Flash Lang. in McLachlan (1964) 277: vardo a waggon. vardo-gill a waggoner.
1823		‘Jon Bee’ Dict. of the Turf, the Ring, the Chase, etc.
1859, 1860		Hotten Dict. of Modern Sl. etc.
1875		G.J. Whyte-Melville Katerfelto 118: The black Vardo-mescro had not failed to notice the change.
1891		F.W. Carew Autobiog. of a Gipsey 27: My mother [...] purchased a vardo and proceeded to lay in a good supply of the fancy-baskets, [...] brooms, etc., which form the usual stock-in-trade of the travelling fraternity.
1921		P. & T. Casey Gay-cat 179: Often had he [...] traveled a space along the road in the wardos, those large covered vans.
1934		P. Allingham Cheapjack 250: ‘Make for our vardoes,’ he called.
1937		X. Petulengro Britain Through Gipsy Eyes 1: That was an old bow-topped and canvas-covered vardo. ‘The Star of the Road’, as my caravan is named, is built on more modern lines.
2012		E. Petulengro Caravans & Wedding Bands 1: [C]hildhood nights spent in Granny’s traditional Romany vardo.