The Northumberland Name Books were compiled by Royal Engineers in 1860, forming the basis of the very first Ordnance Survey 6 inch maps.
This is what they had to say about Duke Willy as it was then called: ‘A small brick stone cottage on the side of the road and west of Summer Rods Ridge it was formerly a Public House and had as its sign ‘The Duke of Cumberland’ (of A.D. 1746) he was familiarly called Duke Willy, hence the name’
https://namebooks.org.uk/browse/main/?OSref=378&Page=42.0
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