Green’s Dictionary of Slang

1. a general insult, the inference is a loud-mouthed, objectionable individual.

1825		C.M. Westmacott Eng. Spy I 255: The town raff and the bargees – well blunted or silver cramped.
1897		Kipling ‘Slaves of the Lamp — Part I’ in Complete Stalky & Co. (1987) 70: That King cursed like a bargee. Simply disgustin’. I’m goin’ to write to my father about it.
1900		Sporting Times 14 Apr. 1/3: We were at a meeting once to which some van loads of bargees from the Medway, a dozen miles distant, were imported. They did all they could to break our heads.
1910		Sporting Times 8 Jan. 1/4: Again the mate assented by shrugging his shoulders—and again the bargee shouted.
1919		Marvel 3 Mar. 3: ‘Those bargees,’ he said. ‘We had a bit of a schemozzle some time back.’.
1934		Wodehouse Right Ho, Jeeves 138: I’d pity the girl who was linked for life to a bargee like Tuppy Glossop.
1959		A. Sinclair My Friend Judas (1963) 97: Your language is that of a bargee trying to speak like a bishop.

2. in affectionate use.

1899		Kipling ‘The Flag of Their Country’ in Complete Stalky & Co. (1987) 204: General Collinson. He comes over to shoot with my father sometimes. Rather a decent old bargee, too.
1909		Magnet 10 July 3: You lucky bargee! I wish I were in your shoes.
1917		Kipling ‘Regulus’ in Complete Stalky & Co. (1987) 177: Conscientious old bargee. You ought to have heard his apologies.