The Royal Oak was a tied house of the Redbrook Brewery. Eliza Burgham, proprietor of the brewery, is listed as owner in 1891 and twelve years later her son, Oliver Burgham, was the owner. The Royal Oak, a humble beer house, had an annual rateable value of £12.0s.0d. It closed at 10 pm. Upon the retirement of Oliver Burgham in 1923 the Royal Oak was sold with eight other licensed properties belonging to the brewery for £9,700 to Ind Coope & Co., Ltd. of Burton on Trent.
An advertisement for Ind Coope & Allsopp Burton Ales stated that their ales could be obtained from the following houses.
Ross – Noah’s Ark Inn, Tudorville
Monmouth – Mayhill Hotel, Queens Head, Agincourt Hotel, Barley Mow, Bridge Inn, Bull Inn
Redbrook – Queens Head, Bush Inn
Penalt – Bush Inn, Boat Inn
Coleford – Prince of Wales Inn, White Hart
Fetterhill – Royal Oak Inn
Clearwell – Lamb Inn
Lydbrook – Courtfield Arms.
The Royal Oak was located on the bank almost opposite the George. It closed in 1954 and was demolished.
Landlords at the Royal Oak include:
1876 ? James Brown (listed as beer retailer, Futterill. No name of establishment)
1861 Richard Kearsley
1891 Daniel Nelmes
1903 Louisa Banks
1919 Richard Merry
1927 William Rudge
1931 William Jenkins (William was at the Royal Foresters in Mile End in 1935)
1935 Bill Rudge
1944 Don White (Don White later ran the Lamb Inn in Coleford, 1954)
1950-1952 Ivor Cox (Ivor Cox later ran the Rising Sun in Broadwell)
