In 1859, when England feared invasion from France, a volunteer rifle corps was formed. This later became the National Rifle Association, founded to encourage skill in rifle shooting. The Lord of the Manor, Earl Spencer, was closely involved and it was he who volunteered the use of the Commons for their annual meeting and competition. The first meeting of the National Rifle Association took place on 2nd July 1860 and lasted six days. Queen Victoria opened the meeting and fired the first shot using a rifle on a mechanical rest which may still be seen in the museum at Bisley. She also inaugurated the "Queens Prize" which has been competed for ever since.
The standard rifle used by the volunteers was the Enfield, a muzzle-loader of over half inch bore. For the longer distances of 800 to 1,000 yards, a Whitworth rifle was allowed but the first winner of the Queen's Prize used a Martini-Henry.
By 1861 the meeting was extended to ten days and the scale of the event increased, with camps being set up for the contestants and exhibition and refreshment tents for the visitors who numbered over 13,000 (the population of Wimbledon at that time was only 4,644). In 1862 the N.R.A. meeting ended with a sham battle which provided the idea for the first Royal Tournament. In 1863 a moving target in the form of a running deer, designed by Sir Edwin Landseer, was introduced.
When the administration of the Commons was taken over by Commons Conservators in 1871 arrangements were made for the annual N.R.A. meetings to continue. They now lasted two weeks and the ranges were also used by four Corps of volunteers at other times. In 1878 entries for the Queen's Prize reached a record of 2,498.
By 1887 rifles and ammunition had improved to such an extent that it was no longer safe to shoot in an area that had become much more densely populated. The population of Wimbledon had grown to 16,000, the danger from stray bullets had increased and it was decided that a new venue for the National Rifle Association was needed. The last meeting on Wimbledon Common was held in 1889 and in the following year the Association moved to its new home at Bisley.
The independence which our Commons enjoy has enabled a strong resistance to be maintained against encroachment in any form - while many other Commons have been reduced, cut up or destroyed altogether over the past hundred years, Wimbledon & Putney Commons remain intact, unbuilt on and free for all to enjoy.