Duncan was friends with William Sydney Penley, who was best known for his role as ‘Charley’s Aunt’ in the famous comedy of the same name. A very active Freemason, Penley was a founding member of the Yorick.

'Yorick' comes from Shakespeare's 'Hamlet', Act V, Scene I, when Hamlet finds his skull in a graveyard. Before his death Yorick had been Hamlet's father's court jester and the discovery of his skull provides Hamlet an opportunity to contemplate human mortality.

The founders of the Yorick Lodge chose this name because they decided to form the Lodge in the Yorick Club on the Strand, London. The Lodge had theatrical connections and many of its founding members were involved in the theatrical profession.