In 1885, the Newdegate family leased their Warwickshire coal mine to a Sheffield-based company, who attempted to cut costs by reducing miners' wages.
The union's first secretary was William Johnson, who later became a local Member of Parliament.
[2] In 1889, the union was a founder constituent of the Miners' Federation of Great Britain (MFGB).
The MFGB voted to affiliate to the Labour Party in 1909, but Johnson and the Warwickshire Miners refused to follow suit.
This led to a series of disputes, and in 1912 a group of members including Walter John French split away to form the rival North Warwickshire Miners' Association.