Definition of "Crispin"

The fact is, that the Princess of Wales, having suffered from weakness in the knee, walks with a slight halt, and the apes of fashion have persuaded their Crispins to supply boots with one long and one short heel, in order that they may follow in the footsteps of royalty.

1870 June 18, “Granny’s Ignorance”, in Sydney Punch, Sydney, N.S.W., page 25, column 2

Boot after boot was tried on until at last a fit was obtained, when in rushed a man, snatched up the customer's hat left near the door, and ran down the street as fast as his legs could carry him. Away went the customer after his hat, and Crispin, standing at the door, clapped his hands, and shouted, “Go it, you'll catch him!”—little thinking that it was a concerted trick, and that neither his boots nor the customer would ever return.

1873, John Camden Hotten, The Slang Dictionary