Description
Wimbledon 1864 Prize Telescope
Wimbledon 1864 Prize Telescope. The Lord Bury telescope by J.H.Steward won as a prize at the 1864 Wimbledon shoot won by Serg H.T.Hall for the Alexandra 1st Stage. The leather has started to come away in a couple of places but otherwise in good condition. A rare piece.
The first Imperial Meeting was contested on Wimbledon Common, in south-west London, in 1860 when Queen Victoria fired the first shot and gave a prize of £250 to the best individual marksman. Originally the Meeting was only available to Volunteers (regular and reserve military personnel) using the issued service rifle of the day.
The National Rifle Association was founded in 1859, based on Putney Heath & Wimbledon Common. In 1890 Queen Victoria granted the National Rifle Association a Royal Charter of Incorporation. Its founding aim was to raise the funds for an annual national rifle meeting (now known as the Imperial Meeting) “for the promotion of marksmanship in the interests of Defence of the Realm and permanence of the Volunteer Forces, Navy, Military and Air”.
