Green’s Dictionary of Slang

(UK Und.) financially well-off, materially comfortable; thus well-breeched/well-britched.

1811		Lex. Balatronicum n.p.: breeched. Money in the pocket: the swell is well breeched, let’s draw him; the gentleman has plenty of money in his pocket, let us rob him.
1819		New Bon Ton 1 Nov. 48: Mrs Bang is aleady engaged for the ensuring campaign, and with the aid of rouge and paste [...] anticipates a good hit at the well-breeched Dandies of gallantry ere the winter wanes.
1821		‘An Amateur’ Real Life in London I 555: If he is what they term well-breeched, and full of cash, they stick to him until he is cleaned out, make him drunk, and, if he turns restive, they mill him.
1832		Egan Bk of Sports 50: A mob of swells [...] ‘well breeched’ into the bargain, with lots of goldfinches to make the ‘wisit pleasant’.
1848		Bell’s Life in Sydney 26 Feb. 1/4: I’m britched and togged ready to vork.
1859, 1860		Hotten Dict. of Modern Sl. etc. 11: BREACHED [...] to have plenty of money, ‘to be well breeched,’ to be in good circumstances.
1864, 1867, 1870		Hotten Sl. Dict.
1873		Sl. Dict.
1890–1904		Farmer & Henley Sl. and Its Analogues.
1904		Chelmsford Chron. 20 May 8/7: Witness said to the prisoners, You are well “breeched” to be in silver-street on a Monday morning. Taylor replied, I am better “breeched” than that; I am in gold street, and produced a soveriegn from his pocket.
1955		B. Hill Boss of Britain’s Underworld 46: I worked a few quid their way whenever I was well breeched.
1980		Barltrop & Wolveridge Muvver Tongue 71: I went off for a good blow-out. Being well britched I wasn’t going to no coffee stall.
1981		(con. c.1910) A. Harding in Samuel East End Und. 102: They were a family that I would call ‘well-breeched’.