Major Walter Clopton Wingfield MVO - Denbighshire

Major Walter Clopton Wingfield MVO was born on 16 October 1833 and became a British army officer who was one of the pioneers of lawn tennis.Inducted into the International Tennis Hall of Fame in 1997, an example of the original equipment for the sport and a bust of Wingfield can be seen at the Wimbledon Lawn Tennis Museum.

Wingfield the son of Clopton Lewis Wingfield an army captain serving in Canada could trace his family roots back to before the Norman Conquest. His parents died early and he was brought up by his uncle and great uncle. He entered Sandhurst on the second attempt through the influence of his great uncle who was a colonel. He joined the 1st Dragoon Guards and served in India. In 1860 he took part in the campaign in China and was present at the capture of Peking. He returned to England in 1861

During the decade he was based at his family estate Rhysnant, Llandrini, in Montgomeryshire, before moving into London in 1867. He was a Justice of the Peace (JP) for the county and served in the Montgomeryshire Yeomanry, joining as Lieutenant in 1864, appointed adjutant of the regiment in 1868, and promoted Major in 1874.

In 1870 he was appointed to the Honourable Corps