Hide

NEEN SOLLARS: Geographical and Historical information from the year 1824.

hide
Hide

 

"NEEN SOLLARS (or NEEN SOLARS), a parish in the hundred of Overs, a rectory in the diocese of Hereford, the deanery of Burford, and archdeaconry of Salop. 42 houses, 281 inhabitants. 2½ miles south of Cleobury Mortimer.

In the church of Neon Solars there is a monument to Humphrey Conyngsby Esq. On the top is a fair coat of arms of the Conyngsbys, with the motto, Jacta Libertas. Below this is written in four columns as follows:-

' Time cutteth down the body,
But Christ raiseth up the spirit.
Here, Conyngsby, in lively shape thou liest,
Who sometimes wert the champion of Christ;
Didst travail Europe for his only sake
(And, found the foe) his quarrell undertake;
What greater valour, piety, could be,
Than bleed for him who shed his blood for thee ?
Alas our life, although we stay at home,
Is but a toylsom pilgrimage on earth,
But thou a double pilgrimage didst roam.
Thou wast almost abroad, ever from thy birth.
Thy journey's end was heaven, of homes the best,
Where till thou camest, thou never couldst take rest.
One life is lost, yet livest thou ever,
Death has his due, yet diest thou never.'

' This statue and monument were made in commemoration of Humphrey Conyngsby, Esq., only son of John Conyngsby, [In the Visitation, Worcester, Harl MS No 1486, made and taken 1571, Anne daughter of Thomas Barnaby, (and Joyce, daughter and heir to Walter Acton, of Acton, com. Wigorn) married John Conisby, of the Mind, and had issue Humphrey and Catharine Conisby.- Ex. MSS. Jacksonian. Collect. H.G. No. 56, fol. 92.] of Nees Were, Esq. and of Anne his wife daughter of Thomas Burnaby, of Hull, in the parish of Brockleton, and county of Worcester, Esq., which Humphrey Conyngsby was late Lord of this Neen Solars and patron of this Church; and was heir of the eldest line and family of Conyngsbys from whom all the rest are derived: which before King John's time were barons of England, and then resided at Conyngsby in Lincolnshire; he was a perfect scholar by education, and a great traveller by his own affections: he began his first travails in April 1594, being 27 years of age and two months, and for four years and upwards remained in France, Germany, Italy, and Sicily, and then returned home for a little while, and took his journey again into Bohemia, Polonia, and Hungary, where for the defence of the Christian faith, he put himself under the banner of Rodulph, the second Emperor of the Romans, (as a voluntary gentleman,) at the siege of Stregonium, in Hungary, against the Turk; afterwards to satisfie his desire, which was to see the most eminent persons and places, he went into Turkey, Natolia, to Troy, in Asia, by Sestos and Abydos, through the Hellespont, and into the Isles of Zant, Chios, Rhodes, Candy, Cyprus, and divers other places in the Archipelago.

He visited sundry antient and famous places of Greece, as Arcadis, Corinth, Thessalonica, Ephesus, and Athens; went over the plains of Thermopylae, by which Xerxes passed into Greece,- and so arrived at Constantinople, in the reign of Mahomet, the third Emperor of the Turks; who to do him honour, gave him a Turkish gown of cloth and gold, and his mother, the Sultana Ebrits, gave him another rich gown of cloth and silver, and 60 chequins in gold. After 12 months abode there, he returned into England, to the joy of his friends; where staying awhile, he went into Spain, and came back in safety; and again the fourth time took his journey from London to Venice, the 10th day of October, 1610, from which day he was never after seen by any of his acquaintance, on this side the sea, or beyond, nor any certainty known of his death, where, when, or how: from his first journey to his last was 16 years, and six months. He lived a bachelor, leaving behind one sister of the whole blood, named Joyce Jeffreys, whom he made executrix of his last will and testament, appointing her thereby to erect him a tomb, with an inscription of his condition, life, and death, which she hath here performed, though short of his perfections.'

' Tempera mutantur. Anne Domini, 1624. Man, stay, see, read, muse, and mind thy end, Flesh, pomp, time, thoughts, world, wealth, as wind doth pass, Love, fear, hate, hope, fast, pray, feed, give, amend, Man, beast, fish, fowl, and all flesh is as grass; See here thyself, frail flesh, as in a glass, No odds between us but uncertain hours, Which are prescribed by the heavenly powers, For death in fine all kind of flesh devours. Respice finens. Farewell then, sister flesh, and think of me, What I am now, to morrow thou mayst be.'

In the glass window of the chancel where this monument is, is written-

'These arms here set up in the memory of Humphrey Conyngsby Esq., some time Lord of Neen Solars, by his half sister and executrix, Joice Jeffreys, Anne Domini, 1628.'

[Transcribed information from A Gazetteer of Shropshire - T Gregory - 1824](unless otherwise stated)

[Description(s) transcribed by Mel Lockie ©2015]