Green’s Dictionary of Slang

(UK Und.) a petticoat; thus hale up the main-buntlings, to pull up a woman’s petticoats.

c.1698		B.E. Dict. Canting Crew.
1719		A. Smith Lives of Most Notorious Highway-men, etc. (1926) 203: Buntlings, petticoats. Haul up the main buntlings, i.e., take up the woman’s petticoats.
1725		New Canting Dict.
1737, 1759, 1760, 1776		Bailey Universal Etym. Eng. Dict.
c.1786		Grose Classical Dict. of the Vulgar Tongue ms. additions n.p.: Buntlings Pettitcoats. Cant.
1788, 1796		Grose Classical Dict. of the Vulgar Tongue (3rd edn).
1809		G. Andrewes Dict. Sl. and Cant.
1811		Lex. Balatronicum.
1823		Egan Grose’s Classical Dict. of the Vulgar Tongue.
1835		G. Kent Modern Flash Dict.
1848		Flash Dict. in Sinks of London Laid Open.
c.1850		Duncombe New and Improved Flash Dict.