Belted Will
Preserved but no longer current.
Lord William Howard (1563- 1640), a Border chief, son of the fourth Duke of Norfolk, and warden of the western marches. He was so called by Scott. To his contemporaries he was known as "Bould Wullie." His wife was called "Bessie with the braid apron.
Era: ca. 1898 (Victorian)
Sources & notes
Reproduced from Brewer’s Dictionary of Phrase and Fable (1898 edition, public domain; archive.org, retrieved 2026-07-31; OCR text, minor errors possible). Reflects the scholarship and attitudes of its era.
Common questions
What does “Belted Will” mean?
Lord William Howard (1563- 1640), a Border chief, son of the fourth Duke of Norfolk, and warden of the western marches. He was so called by Scott. To his contemporaries he was known as "Bould Wullie." His wife was called "Bessie with the braid apron.
Is “Belted Will” formal or informal?
No register label has been reviewed yet — treat it as neutral and check the usage notes above.