1 February 1839 Gloucester Journal  Notice from the Cheltenham & Dean Forest Mining Co. Ltd. - pits driven to the Hill Delf at Newham Bottom.

1841  James Robins of Nantyglo, Monmouthshire, gentleman; Joseph Robins of Ruerdean, yeoman; William Robins of Tredegar, Mon., maltster; Thomas Robins, Wootton under Edge, grocer; George Robins of Nantyglo, innholder; and Mary Evans of Ruerdean, widow; Elizabeth Jones, wife of Charles Jones of Hopemansel, Herefordshire, yeoman; and Sophia Finglass wife of William Finglass, Bath, grocer, in equal shares (as claiming through a Free Miner) to True Blue & Newham Bottom.
Coal in the Hill Delf vein, lying in the land of and drained by the True Blue Level, extending in a north-western direction as deep as the level will drain.
Also coal in same vein lying in land of Newham Bottom Level, up to the True Blue Level.

F3 228
11 July 1845  We beg to inform you that Joseph Wilce, George Morgan and George Meek have for some time past been raising coal by sinking down in two quarries on freehold land without authority.  The coal forms part of grant to Joseph Robins and others of True Blue and Newham Bottom.
 Edward Machin, John Atkinson

8 November 1845  Trespassers have left off getting coal.

25 May 1846  Thomas Mountjoy, Ruardean ìI am a poor Free Miner with a large family...î ...in February last I applied to Mr. James Hill who has an Estate in the Parish of Ruardean (under the whole of which was coal but it has all been worked 50 or 100 years ago) to allow me to get any coal left.
Consented, but Hill first applied to Mr. Robins to know if he claimed the coal.  He said he did not.  I put application in for coal but not living in the Hundred of St. Briavels.
I have sunk two pits but not found any unworked coal.
Four levels worked through Mr. Hills ground, the True Blue, Speedwell, Cross Knave and the Standfast, the last three lie between the True Blue and where I have been trying to find the coal.  The Messrs. Robinís award says all coal lying in a south-easterly direction drained by True Blue Level.

Coal actually within limits of True Blue and Newham Bottom.  Mountjoy was told this and given notice to stop, also from four solicitors.
30 April 1850  Gloucester Journal   To be sold by private contract (by order of the Official Managers appointed to wind up the Cheltenham & Gloucestershire Bank.)
A valuable Gale or Coal Field, in the Forest of Dean known as the East Slade & Newham Bottom Collieries, containing about 140 acres of unwrought coal and having 4 shafts sunk the required depth.  The collieries are contiguous to railways communicating wirh Hereford, Gloucester, Cheltenham and the Metropolis.  A Tramway extends from the mouth of the principal pit to a branch of the South Wales Railway.  The coal is the celebrated High Delf Vein, varies in thickness from 5 to 6 feet, & yields about a ton & a half of superior coal in every square yard.  The facilities for conveyance are great.  The reserved royalty is 2s. per ton.  The title is indisputable...

PRO BT31/397/1503 GLOUCESTERSHIRE COAL MINING CO. LTD.
To acquire the True Blue, Newham Bottom, Woodside and Birchen Grove Collieries and to hold, work and use a railway about two miles long made and laid from such collieries to the Bullo Pill Branch of the South Wales Railway, together with the plant, steam engines, engine house, houses, buildings, erections, carpenter and smiths shops, tram wagons, pit carts, machinery, tools etc.
[For details of the railway and the siding at the Wooden House see Forest of Dean Branch Volume 2]
Capital £40,000 in £1 shares.
Edwin Pearson Middlesex 1,000 shares
    ?           ? Middlesex 500
John Dinnington Fletcher Middlesex 500
James Lawne London 1000
Stephen Green London 500
Geo. Grant London 800
Joseph Walton Cheltenham 500
Incorporated 5 April 1859

13 August 1859  Gloucester Journal   East Slade & Newham Bottom Collieries, being offered for sale at Auction at the Kings Head, Gloucester 3rd. September 1859 without reserve - had been previously offered on two previous occasions but had not reached reserve.  Late owners had expended upon the works in excess of £16,000 for sinking four pits and erecting buildings etc.

22 October 1859  Gloucester Journal   Ruardean Collieries.  the Public are respectfully informed that the above (or True Blue & Newham Collieries are now being worked, and the COAL, admitted to be the BEST NESH COAL in the Forest can be obtained at the following Ready Money Prices
AT THE PITS 7s. 0d. per ton BEST BLOCK
AT CHURCHWAY 7s. 6d. per ton BEST BLOCK
October 19th. 1859

PRO BT31/397/1503 GLOUCESTERSHIRE COAL MINING CO. LTD.
27 March 1860 5490 shares sold
18 April 1860 To be wound up.

17 October 1873  Surrendered.

17 October 1873  Re-granted to James Grindell, of Milkwall.

F3 632
1 September 1884  True Blue & Newham Bottom granted to Moses Hale of Ellwood.

F3 897
8 December 1903  about middle of September 1900 I commenced to re-open this colliery at Slybite Pit and have spent about £1,700 exclusive of £700 dead rent.
Many roads and headings driven but only found gob mixed with small percentage of lime, smut etc.
In 1901 I opened another pit (Little Brittain) for air and have driven a road westwards about 130 yards to a jump where coal is at present soft and unmarketable.  It is only about 60 more yards to the boundary line.
Wishing reduction in dead rent and royalty which is high when compared with surrounding gales viz; Pluckpenny, Speedwell, Ruardean Hill, Reddings and others.  In 1894/5/6 I spent £1,000 on this property in opening a level near B.S. 1 & 2.  Please note number of old pits shown on True Blue.  From my experience of Newham Bottom award I think I shall find little coal.  T. Bennett Brain.

[12 pits marked on True Blue including Perch Holly Pit connected to an old level.
3 pits on Newham Bottom including True Blue Pit (A), Slybite Pit]

Dead rent reduced from £50 to £30 as from 1 January 1904
Gale was granted 1 September 1884

6 March 1907  Memorial of Deed of Gift T. B. Brain to his son Cornelius John

16 November 1910  Conveyance C. J. Brain to Bertram Herbert Taylor, Forest House, Coleford.

16 January 1914  Taylor had just got another colliery back into working order following flooding caused by a neighbouring colliery.
 
F3 1222
31 December 1919  Conveyance of True Blue & Newham Bottom.  B. H. Taylor to Forest Syndicate Ltd.

31 December 1919  Conveyance George H Jones & another to Forest Syndicate Ltd. [This could be Reddings Level No. 2 or Birchen Grove]

9 February 1920 Conveyance Emma Latham & another to Forest Syndicate Ltd.

1 March 1920 Mortgage H. C. Morris to Lloyds bank.

28 September 1920  Declaration of Trust Forest Syndicate Ltd. to Premier Briquette Co. Ltd.

2 February 1923  In Kings Bench division before Justice Lush Mr. Walter Edwin Rhodes, mineral and mining agent, Cinderford and Mr. Charles Cooper, mining engineer, brought action against Mr. William Wylie Macalister, accountant, and John Thomas Norman, chemical engineer, both of London, to recover £2,375 under agreement of May 1918.  Plaintiffs represented that a material called ësmutí of high commercial value for distillation and manufacture of briquettes.  Forest Syndicate Ltd.  Defendants provided £6,625 to acquire certain rights and properties.  True Blue owner asked £5,000 having paid £480 a few years earlier and £800 - £900 opening it.  Birchen Grove was sold for £1,000.

The Premier Briquette Co. - winding up petition last autumn was brought out at the end of 1919 to work ësmutí.  Capital £125,000 - little progress made

6 April 1923  Sale Premier Briquette Co. (in liquidation) during April at the Feathers Hotel, Lydney.  True Blue Colliery comprising True Blue, Newham Bottom, Birchen Grove, Reddings Level, Pludds No.2, and Woodside No.2 gales.

13 November 1924  Agreement Lloyds Bank and Capt. H. A. Pringle.

2 February 1925  Conveyance Lloyds Bank to Wigpool Coal & Iron Co. Ltd.

15 January 1926 Harrow Hill and True Blue Colliery owned by same proprietor, affected by heavy rains and snow since New Year. 40 or 50 men out of work.

5 February 1926 Colliery Fatality - fall of roof on Wednesday night at the recently developed Ruardean Hill Level of the True Blue Colliery now operated in conjunction with the Harrow Hill Colliery by the Wigpool Coal & Iron Co. Ltd.
True Blue No. 2 Colliery
At the inquest Capt. Pringle of the Company.

21 January 1927  ëDFMí  REPORT ON TRUE BLUE   COPY

8 July 1927  True Blue - Wigpool Coal & Iron Co. - reference to a former company speculating in making of briquettes but one was never made.

GRO D177
16 July 1927 True Blue fulfilling all hopes, excellence of coal, could turn out 300 tons per week if demand there but only doing 100/150 tons.

5 May 1938  Reddings Level No.2 conveyed to True Blue Colliery Co. Ltd.