1877 Wimbledon Championship H. Walsh, in his capacity as editor of "The Field", persuaded his employer to donate a cup worth 25 guineas for the winner; the "Field Cup". The cup was made of sterling silver and had the inscription: "The All England Lawn Challenge Cup – Presented by the Proprietors of The Field – For competition by Amateurs – Wimbledon July 1877". On 6 July 1877, three days prior to the start of the tournament, a notice was published in "The Times": Next week at the All England Croquet and Lawn Tennis Club Ground a Lawn Tennis Championship Meeting will be held.
Henry Jones (writer) for playing lawn tennis, which proved to be a significant step. In 1877, Club Secretary John Walsh proposed that a lawn tennis championship be held, and "Wimbledon" was born. Jones and two other prominent men, Julian Marshall and John Moyer Heathcote, formed a sub-committee to frame the rules, many of which survive today, and Jones was referee at The Championships from 1877 to 1885. The only tournament of the inaugural 1877 Wimbledon Championship was the Gentlemen's Singles, which was won from a field of 22 competitors by Spencer Gore, an old Harrovian rackets player. The final attracted a crowd of