Green’s Dictionary of Slang

(UK Und.) a house, a lodging.

c.1566		Harman Caveat for Common Cursetours in Viles & Furnivall (1907) 83: a lypken a house to lye in.
1592		Groundworke of Conny-catching A2: Bene Lightmans to thy quarromes in what libkin hast thou liyed in this darkemans, whether in a libbeg or in the strummell.
1608		Dekker Lanthorne and Candle-Light Ch. 1: The Canters Dictionary Libken, a house to lye in.
1611		Middleton & Dekker Roaring Girle V i: Pure rogues? no, we scorn to be pure rogues; but if you come to our lib ken, or our stalling ken, you shall find neither him nor me a queer cuffin.
1621		Jonson Gypsies Metamorphosed 4: ’Tis thought fit he marche in the Infants Equipage With the convoy cheates, and peckage out of the clutch of Harman-beckage, to theire Libkens at the Crackmans or some skipper of the Black-mans.
1665		Head Eng. Rogue I 325: libken An house to lie in.
1674		Head Canting Academy (2nd edn) 4: I will not conceal ought I win out of libkins or from the ruffmans, but will preserve it for the use of the company.
1688		R. Holme Academy of Armory Ch. iii item 68c: Canting Terms used by Beggars, Vagabonds, Cheaters, Cripples and Bedlams. [...] Libkin, a House to ly in. Lodging.
c.1698		B.E. Dict. Canting Crew n.p.: Libkin c. a House to Lye in; also a Lodging.
1725		New Canting Dict. [as cit. c.1698].
1737, 1759, 1760, 1776		Bailey Universal Etym. Eng. Dict. [as cit. c.1698].
c.1750–1882		B.M. Carew Life and Adventures.
1785		Grose Classical Dict. of the Vulgar Tongue n.p.: I will not conceal aught I win out of Libkens or from the Rufmans, but will preserve it for the use of the Company.
a.1790		H.T. Potter New Dict. Cant (1795).
1809		G. Andrewes Dict. Sl. and Cant.
1815		(con. 18C) W. Scott Guy Mannering (1999) 264: These are the fees I always charge a swell that must have his lib-ken to himself – thirty shillings a week for lodgings and a guinea for garnish.
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.
1858		A. Mayhew Paved with Gold 256: We can sell ’em to the ‘mot’ (landlady) of the ‘libb-ken’ (lodging-house) for a good deal.
1906		A. McCormick Tinkler-Gypsies of Galloway 104: The following words appear to be still in use in one form or another amongst Galwegian tinkler-gypsies – Libken – Lodgings.