Green’s Dictionary of Slang

a wandering beggar who poses as the victim of a shipwreck.

1839		H. Brandon Dict. of the Flash or Cant Lang. 166/1: Turnpike Sailors, Sailors – beggars who go about disguised as sailors.
1845		Stamford Mercury (Lincs) 26 Dec. 2/4: John Lilly, a completely attired ‘turnpike sailor,’ was charged with [...] begging and using intimidating words.
1857		Stamford Mercury (Lincs) 4 Sept. 5/7: Geo. Taffen, a turnpike sailor, was brought up for begging.
1861		(con. 1840s–50s) H. Mayhew London Labour and London Poor I 415/2: I became a turnpike sailor, as it’s called, and went out as one of the Shallow Brigade, wearing a Guernsey shirt and drawers, or tattered trousers.
1865		Exeter Flying Post 15 Feb. 5/6: Mr Cully could tell that the man was not a genuine seaman — that he was in fact but a turnpike sailor.
1868		Sportsman 2 Dec. 2/2: Notes on News [...] [A]n ingenious skipper [...] seeing one of these turnpike mariners [...] spitting to leeward one day—a thing no real sailor was ever yet seen to do—incontinently d—d him for an impostor.
1876		Morpeth Herald (Northumberland) 11 Nov. 6/2: A Manchester ‘turnpike sailor,’ was last week committed for sixth months for a savage assault.
1881		Western Gaz. (Somerset) 2 Sept. 8/1: The person allued to bawlsd in the street like a ‘turnpike sailor,’ and damns right and left all whom he suppooses not to be in sympathy with him.
1882		Sydney Sl. Dict. (2 edn) 9: Turnpike Sailors - Rogues who, disguised as sailors, beg along the highway.
1891		F.W. Carew Autobiog. of a Gipsey 413: When I was fouteen I slung my ’ook and joined some travellin’ Barks – turnpike-sailors and silver-beggars.
1904		Portsmouth Eve. News 10 May 8/7: Supt. Silver remarked that defendent looked more like a ‘turnpike sailor’ than a seafaring man.
1908		Indep. 23 Apr. 908/2: We want men as is sailors [...] No dock rats, ner deck swabs, ner turnpike sailors’ll suit here .
1909		Dover Exp. 12 Mar. 5/6: They say that the turnpike sailor knows all about the casual question.
1923		Western Morn. News (Exeter) 8 Dec. 8/6: The old ‘turnpike sailor’ [...] mouching about [...] spinning the most wonderful stories of hair-curling adventures.