Green’s Dictionary of Slang

1. (UK Und.) a married man.

1741		Canting Academy, or the Pedlar’s-French Dict. 118: A married Man An autumn’d Cove / A married Woman An autumn’d Mort.
1881		Trumble Sl. Dict. (1890).
1895		C. Crowe Aus. Sl. Dict 5: Autum Cove, a married man.

2. a preacher, a parson.

1859

‘Hundred Stretches Hence’ in Matsell Vocabulum 124: The antum-cacklers, autum-coves, / The jolly blade who wildly roves.

(UK Und.) lit. a married woman; a mistress as in a woman who cohabits with a man, or accompanies a mendicant villain on his travels and in his crimes; used synon. as a female beggar.

c.1566		Harman Caveat for Common Cursetours in Viles & Furnivall (1907) 67: These Autem Mortes be maried wemen, as there be but a fewe. For Autem in their Language is a Churche; so she is a wyfe maried at the Church, and they be as chaste as a Cowe I haue, that goeth to Bull euery moone, with what Bull she careth not.
1592		Groundworke of Conny-catching Ch. 18: These Autem Morts be married women, for Autem in their Language is a Church.
1592		Greene Quip for an Upstart Courtier G3: The pedlar [...] walketh the country with [...] his mort dell and his autem mort.
1608		Dekker Belman of London D4: An Autem Mort, is a woman married, (for Autem in the Beggers language is a Church): these Morts seldome keepe with their husbands, but are from them sometimes a moneth or two, yet neuer walke they without a man in their company, and boyes and girles at their heeles of ten or twelue yeares old, whom they imploy at windowes of houses in the night time, or earely in the mornings, to pilfer away any thing that is worth the carying away.
1610		Rowlands Martin Mark-all 7: Here one complaines that hee [...] could not quietly take their rest in the night, nor keepe his Autem, or doxie sole vnto himselfe.
1641		R. Brome Jovial Crew II i: The Autum-Mort finds better sport / In bowsing than in nigling.
1665		Head Eng. Rogue I 47: Autem Mort, A married Woman.
1674		Head Canting Academy (2nd edn) 61: Autem-Morts are such who are married, having always Children with them, one in the arm and another at the back.
1688		R. Holme Academy of Armory Ch. iii item 68b: Give me leave to give you the names (as in their Canting Language they call themselves) of all (or most of such) as follow the Vagabond Trade, according to their Regiments or Divisions, as [...] Autem Morts, Wives that follow Rogues and Thieves.
c.1698		B.E. Dict. Canting Crew.
1707		J. Shirley Triumph of Wit 184: As for the Women that attend these stroling Gypsies and Beggars, those that are Married after their Fashion, are called Autem-morts.
1719		A. Smith Lives of Most Notorious Highway-men, etc. (1926) 201: Autem-Mort, a married woman, also that tribe of beggars travelling, begging, and often stealing, with one child in arms, another at the back, and sometimes leading a third by the hand.
1728		Defoe Street Robberies Considered 30: Autem Mort, a Wife of the Left Hand.
1737, 1759, 1760, 1776		Bailey Universal Etym. Eng. Dict.
1754		Scoundrel’s Dict. 18: A Married Woman – Autem-mort.
1785, 1788, 1796		Grose Classical Dict. of the Vulgar Tongue n.p.: Autem mort, (cant) a married woman, also a female beggar, with several children hired or borrowed to excite charity.
1811		Lex. Balatronicum.
1812–82		B.M. Carew Life and Adventures.
1822		R. Nares Gloss. (1888) I 42: autem mort. Cant language, a married woman.
1823		‘Jon Bee’ Dict. of the Turf, the Ring, the Chase, etc. 5: Autem Mott, or mort, a she-beggar pretending to religious fervour; and a w—e with the same aspect.
1828		Sussex Advertiser 14 Apr. 4/3: [We] soon passed a long string of gaggers, priggers, Adam Tylers, fancy coves, autum [sic] morts, gammoners, sweetners, uprightmen, bully huffs, lully priggers, star gazers, and coves of all sorts.
1834		(con. 1737–9) W.H. Ainsworth Rookwood (1857) 168: The women were equally enchanted – equally eloquent in the expression of their admiration. [...] ‘What pins!’ said an autem mort, or married woman.
1835		G. Kent Modern Flash Dict. 4: Autem mort, or mot – [...] a beggar.
1848		Flash Dict. in Sinks of London Laid Open 97: Autem mort, or mot, a woman of the same sect, a beggar, a prostitute.
c.1850		Duncombe New and Improved Flash Dict.
1861		(con. 15C) C. Reade Cloister and Hearth (1864) II 33: Come with me to the ‘rotboss’ there, and I’ll show thee all our folk and their lays [...] ‘Rufflers,’ whipjalks,’ [sic.] ‘dommerars,’ ‘glymmerars,’ jarkmen,’ ‘patricos,’ ‘swadders,’ ‘autem morts,’ and ‘walking morts’.
1871		C. Hindley Old Book Collector’s Misc. 75: autem mort, a married woman. — Autem signifying a church in the Canting language.
1901		Argus (Melbourne) 20 Sept. 6/4: .