Green’s Dictionary of Slang

1. the accepted fee demanded for the removal of a felon from the gallows and for their burial in sacred ground.

c.1698		B.E. Dict. Canting Crew n.p.: Six and eight-pence, the usual Fee given, to carry back the Body of the Executed Malefactor, to give it Christian Burial.
1725		New Canting Dict. [as cit. c.1698].

2. (also six-and-eight, six-and-eighter) a solicitor (occas. barister), whose basic fee usu. came to this amount; also attrib.

1756		Foote Englishman Returned from Paris in Works (1799) I 96: latitat.: The Law [...] is the bulwark, the fence, the protection [...]. crab.: Mercy, good six and eight-pence.
1785, 1788, 1796		Grose Classical Dict. of the Vulgar Tongue.
[1812		P. Hawker Diary (1893) I 30 Oct. 50: [A large meal] all elegantly served up, and with great civility, for 6s. 8d., which I thought much better bestowed than on a lawyer’s letter].
1821		W.T. Moncrieff Tom and Jerry I i: haw.: Oh, it’s only the village lawyer. tom.: Take him out of court – away with the old six and eight-pence.
1835		G. Kent Modern Flash Dict.
1841		D. Boucicault London Assurance in London Assurance and other Victorian Comedies (2001) Act II: You, who live upon the world’s iniquity; you miserable specimen of a bad six-and-eightpence.
1848		Flash Dict. in Sinks of London Laid Open.
1853		Bell’s Life in Sydney 8 Oct. 3/1: I’m never out of temper, but always the same ‘six-and-eightpence’.
1887		‘’Arry in the Witness-Box’ in Punch 5 Feb. 61/2: Sez Old Sixandeightpence, quite tart, as I wobbled away from that Box, / ‘You’ve jest lost us the case, Master ’Arry.’.
1897		Auckland Star 25 Sept. 2/3: ‘What do you call prospecting, Mr Six-and-eightpence?’ The learned counsel’s flood of eloquence was dammed for a while .
1904		Sun. Times (Perth) 20 Mar. 1/1: A screaming sequel to the immersion of a solicitor at Canning Bridge took place [...] having partly disrobed, the shivering six-and-eighter went below to dry his duds.
1907		D. Stewart Shadows of the Night in Illus. Police News 29 June 12/2: ‘“Rhino” first, undoubtedly, old Six-and-Eightpence’.
1910		Sun. Times (Perth) 6 Mar. 2nd sect. 12/8: The stupendous six-and-eight searched aroud for a while and at last lound the one-time Minister for Mines in a crease of his stomach!
1914		Bulletin (Sydney) 6 Aug. 38/2: As a consequence, the average individual seems to regard the six-an’-eight profession and every body and thing connected with it as in the nature of a bad smell to be carefully avoided and harshly spoken of. In the first place, Gent. One is abused as a successful licensed plunderer [...] For this reason he is called ‘hog,’ ‘shark’ and other predatory animals as hard and as often as possible.
1920		Bulletin (Sydney) 12 Feb. 14/3: Vowles [is] a lawyer. He chases his six-and-eightpences in Dalby .
1926		Mirror (Perth) 6 Nov. 12/1: Mr Six-and-eight in defence denied all the allegations.

3. a barrister.

1907		Sun. Times (Perth) 3 Mar. 1/1: A motoring Six and Eight recently donned his wig after a long absence.
1908		Sun. Times (Perth) 26 Jan. 1/1: The anonymous writer has been busy over the domestic affairs of a barrister [and] failing herself to catch the Six and-Eight, she determined to run out all rivals.