Green’s Dictionary of Slang

1. (UK Und.) London.

c.1566		Harman Caveat for Common Cursetours in Viles & Furnivall (1907) 84: Rome vyle London.
1592		Groundworke of Conny-catching A3 (b): What stowe you bene cose and cut benar whydds and byng we to Rome vyle to nyp a bounge.
1608		Dekker Lanthorne and Candle-Light Ch. 1: And bing we to Rome-vile: and goe we to London.
1611		Middleton & Dekker Roaring Girle V i: A gage of ben rom-bouse / In a bousing ken of Rom-vile.
1612		Dekker ‘Canting Song’ O per se O O1: Bingd out bien Morts and toure, bing out of the Rome-vile: And towre the coue, that cloyde your duds vpon the chates to trine.
1637		Dekker ‘Canting Song’ in Eng. Villainies (8th edn) O2: Bing a waste to Rome-vile then.
1639		J. Taylor Crabtree Lectures 191: Mort. I will bing to the Coves and the Morts, and whid to them for Lower, that thou maist budge out of the Naskin: and then budge into the Rum-vile.
1648		Dekker ‘Canters Dict.’ Eng. Villainies (9th edn).
1665		Head Eng. Rogue I 51: Rome-vile, London.
1674		Head Canting Academy (2nd edn) 178: Rum-vile London.
1688		R. Holme Academy of Armory Ch. iii item 68c: Canting Terms used by Beggars, Vagabonds, Cheaters, Cripples and Bedlams. [...] Rome vile, London.
c.1698		B.E. Dict. Canting Crew n.p.: Rum-ville, c. London.
1707		J. Shirley Triumph of Wit 194: The Prancer drew the Quere Cove at the cropping of the Rottam through the Rum pads of the Rum-vill, and was flogg’d by the Nubbing-cove.
1708		J. Hall Memoirs (1714) 13: Rumvil, London.
1719		A. Smith Lives of Most Notorious Highway-men, etc. (1926) 206: As the prancer drew the queer cove, at the cropping of the rotan, the rum pads of the Rumvile, and was flogged by the rum-cove, i.e., the rogue was dragged at the cart’s tail through the chief streets of London and was soundly whipped by the hangman.
1725		New Canting Dict. [as cit. c.1698].
1737, 1759, 1760, 1776		Bailey Universal Etym. Eng. Dict. [as cit. c.1698].
1741		Canting Academy, or the Pedlar’s-French Dict. 116: London Rum File.
1754		Scoundrel’s Dict. 18: London – Rumville.
1785, 1788, 1796		Grose Classical Dict. of the Vulgar Tongue n.p.: Romeville, London (cant). [Ibid.] Rum ville. See rome ville.
a.1790		H.T. Potter New Dict. Cant (1795).
1809		G. Andrewes Dict. Sl. and Cant.
1811		Lex. Balatronicum.
1823		Egan Grose’s Classical Dict. of the Vulgar Tongue.
1834		(con. 1737–9) W.H. Ainsworth Rookwood (1857) 193: I want a little ready cash in Rumville – beg pardon, ma’am, London I mean.
1846		Swell’s Night Guide 130/1: Rome ville, London.
1848		Flash Dict. in Sinks of London Laid Open.

2. (US Und.) New York City.

1859		Matsell Vocabulum.
1867		Nat. Police Gaz. (NY) 21 Sept. n.p.: Not a day passes that we do not see an account of some country merchant being ‘put through’ in ‘Romeville’.
1930		D. Hammett Maltese Falcon (1965) 356: ‘That would go over big back on Seventh Avenue. But you’re not in Romeville now. You’re in my burg’ .