Raggy, I'm suprised at you ! From what I know, the term toe rag developed from the Marsden area. It referred to the undesirables, common and uncooth etc (as you rightly described) who hired themselves out to "toe" (lying on their backs, propelling the barge by foot against the tunnel sides and roof) the narrow boats through the trans pennine tunnel at Marsden. Though the term rapidly spread. I'm sure that it the definitve definition. But I'm sorry to say I can't at the moment recall the original source of my information.