Green’s Dictionary of Slang

(UK Und.) shackles or fetters.

c.1566		Harman Caveat for Common Cursetours in Viles & Furnivall (1907) 84: quier crampring boltes or fetters.
1592		Groundworke of Conny-catching A2: [as cit. c.1566].
1608		Dekker Lanthorne and Candle-Light Ch. 1: To the quier cuffin we bing / And then to the quier Ken to scowre the Cramp-ring.
1612		Dekker ‘Canting Song’ O per se O O2: Till Cramprings quier, tip Cove his hire / and quier-kens do them catch.
1621		Jonson Gypsies Metamorphosed 9: Heres no Justice Lippus Will seeke for to nip vs in Cramp-ringe or Cippus [the stocks].
1637		Dekker ‘Canting Song’ in Eng. Villainies (8th edn ) O3: Thou the Cramp-rings nere didst scowre, as Harmans had on thee no power.
1648		Dekker ‘Canters Dict.’ in Eng. Villainies (9th edn).
1665		Head Eng. Rogue [as cit. 1612].
1676		‘Of the Budge’ in Farmer Musa Pedestris (1896) 31: But if the cully nap us, / And once again we get / Into the cramping rings, / But we are rubbed into the Whitt.
1688		R. Holme Academy of Armory Ch. iii item 68c: Canting Terms used by Beggars, Vagabonds, Cheaters, Cripples and Bedlams. [...] Cramp-ring, shackles, Bolts.
1688		J. Shirley Triumph of Wit 220: [as cit. 1612].
c.1698		B.E. Dict. Canting Crew n.p.: Cramprings Bolts or Shackles.
1728		Defoe Street Robberies Considered 31: Cramprings, Shackles.
1737, 1759, 1760, 1776		Bailey Universal Etym. Eng. Dict.
1754		Scoundrel’s Dict. 15: Shackles – Crampring.
1785, 1788, 1796		Grose Classical Dict. of the Vulgar Tongue.
1811		Lex. Balatronicum.
1823		Egan Grose’s Classical Dict. of the Vulgar Tongue.
1833		‘A Shove In The Mouth’ in Regular Thing, And No Mistake 61: When I tipped you a fogle to twist round each damp / That sported a cramp-ring so queer.
1848		Flash Dict. in Sinks of London Laid Open.
1859		Matsell Vocabulum.
1890–1904		Farmer & Henley Sl. and Its Analogues.
1895		Crowe Aus. Sl. Dict. 20: Cramp Rings, handcuffs or shackles.
1901		Argus (Melbourne) 20 Sept. 6/4: Sometimes [...] the operator in coin has a serious check, the first stage of which is either cramp rings, bracelets, barnacles, darbies, or irons — all of which are just handcuffs.