Allt Yr Ynys can be translated from Welsh as ‘the gently sloping meadow between two rivers’,  a reference to the tongue of land between the rivers  Monnow and Honddu in front of the hotel, and the fields up to the Cat’s Back and the nearby picturesque village of Walterstone.

It was, from the 11th Century, the ‘cunabulum gentis’ or cradle of the noble and renowned Cecil (originally Sitsylt) family, which first came to prominence through Robert Sitsylt, who assisted Robert Fitzhamon in his conquest of Glamorgan in 1091. An antecedent of Robert’s was Rhodri Mawr, King of Wales in the 8th Century.  It is said that Robert took possession of the then vast Allt Yr Ynys estate through marriage to the heiress of the property, the daughter of Sir John Gwyn.  From this family branched off the ‘Cecils’ who eventually became Marquises of both Exeter and Salisbury.

Parts of the house remains in their original state.  In 1647, the hall was described in a survey as 30 ft. by 20 ft., with an ornate plaster ceiling from  which went a wainscoted parlour with the arms of Cecil and de la Hay in the window.  A chapel  at the side of the house burned down at the end of the last century leaving only the walls, in which our Function Room was created.

David ‘Cysell’ of Stamford (1491-1541) not only inspired the building of Allt Yr Ynys but also could be regarded as the architect of the family fortunes. He lived when Henry VII and VIII were Kings, and by dint of push and tact he acquired the positions of Yeoman of the Guard under Henry VII with whom it is said he fought at Bosworth and of Alderman of Stamford and Sheriff of Northamptonshire under Henry VIII.  A prudent far-seeing man, the Alderman placed his eldest  son, Richard, at court, where he was at first a Royal Page and then Master of the Robes.  In the latter capacity he was present with King Henry VIII at the meeting known as the Field of the Cloth of Gold - arranged in 1520 to increase the bond of friendship between Henry VIII and King Francis I of France following the Anglo-French treaty of 1514 - reaping substantial financial gains and other benefits in the process.  After a few years of royal favour Richard Cysell retired to his native county to enjoy the wealth he had acquired.

Certainly the most illustrious of the Cysells was David’s grandson, William – the 1st Baron Burghley (1521-1598) - who served as Chief Secretary of State and the Lord High Treasurer to Queen Elizabeth I for all but the last few years of her reign.  He was succeeded on his death by his son Robert – the 1st Earl of Salisbury (from which the capital of the country originally known as Rhodesia (now Zimbabwe) – derived its name).

Interestingly the family lineage can be traced through to the current Royal family -  Prince Charles is the 12 times Great Grandson and Lady Diana was the 12 times Great Granddaughter of William Cecil - and subsequent generations of the Cecil family have also led public lives in high office.

Lord Robert Cecil, the 3rd Marquess of Salisbury, was three times Prime Minister, serving for a total of over 13 years. He was the first British Prime Minister of the 20th century and the last Prime Minister to head his full administration from the House of Lords.  As a curious side note, the British phrase ‘Bob’s your uncle’ is thought to have derived from Robert Cecil’s appointment of his nephew, Arthur Balfour, as Minister for Ireland.

The current 7th Marquess, Robert Gascoyne-Cecil, a visitor to Allt Yr Ynys, was until recently Tory Leader of the House of Lords.