Lleweni Hall (Welsh, Plas Lleweni, sometimes also referred to as Llewenny Palace) was a stately home in Denbighshire, northeast Wales (located around 3 km north-east of Denbigh on the banks of the River Clwyd. It was the principal seat of the Salusbury family and their descendants from 1066 until 1748, and the present territorial designation of the most senior branch of the family.
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Lleweni was originally called Llysmarchweithian and was property that belonged to Marchweithian, a Welsh chieftain and one of the founders of the Fifteen Tribes of Wales. It eventually fell into the hands of the Salusbury Family approximately around the time of the Norman Conquest during which it was awarded to Adam de Salusbury for his service to William the Conqueror. Although there was some sort of residence on the land that Lleweni stood upon since 720, Lleweni was first properly erected under the direction of the first Sir John Salusbury after having received new arms and a position in the court of Queen Elizabeth I in 1578.
Lleweni evolved into a leading seat of modern Welsh culture during the direction of Sir John, who established a court at Lleweni sometime in the late 16th century. He inscribed a list of festive songs in a book of Welsh poetry in the 1590s, but many academics questioned the legitimacy of these papers until well into the twentieth century. However, research soon discovered that Salusbury was both a close associate of Robert Dudley, Earl of Leicester, as well as the brother-in-law of Ferdinando, Lord Strange, both of whom maintained their own company of players.
Lleweni Hall was a massive structure that had over an estimated 200 rooms according to Hester Piozzi. After the death of Piozzi's father, Sir John Salusbury, 4th Baronet of Lleweni, the structure fell into the hands of the Cotton Baronets who used it as their seat. Hester Piozzi's father was NOT Sir John Salisbury of an earlier time; her father was simply John Salisbury, a descendant of Sir John. Hester's mother Hester Maria Cotton, sister of Sir Lynch Cotton 4th Bart (named after her grandmother Hester Salisbury who had married Sir Robert Cotton) had married her cousin John Salisbury. (see below under the heading Owners of Lleweni Hall.)
However, the upkeep of Lleweni was ruinously expensive, and finally Sir Robert Salusbury Cotton arranged for the sale of the estate at the time of his death. His son, Stapleton Cotton, 1st Viscount Combermere had hoped to preserve Lleweni although taxes later damned the estate to be sold to William Lewis Hughes, Baron Dinorben in order to pay off the debts of his father. Cotton would later regret selling Lleweni Hall immensely after having regained his fortune.
Hughes tore down part of Lleweni in order to build Kinmel Hall, which he did not live to see completed. Kinmell Hall, which was finally built in 1871 by descendents of Hughes, mimics the facade of Lleweni closely.