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The Glamorgan estate was founded on the Ruperra estate. The name 'Ruperra' is an anglicized form of Rhiw'rperrai (now often Rhiwperra in Welsh). Sir Ralph Maelog, lord of Cibwr and Rhiw'rperrai, was succeeded by Maud, his daughter and heir, who married Einion ab Sir Owain Ddu (prob. fl. early 13 cent.). Their descendant David ab Ieuan of Blaenbradach married Maud (or Ann) daughter of Morgan ap Llywelyn (d. pre-1384) of Tredegar, and had two sons and one daughter. Llywelyn the eldest son gave rise to the Thomas family of Llanbradach, while Gwilym the younger son gave rise to the Lewis family of Rhiw'rperrai. The Lewis family failed in the male line with Catherine (or Margaret in some accounts) Lewis, daughter and heir of Rowland Lewis of Rhiw'rperrai.

She married aged 21, sometime between 1586 and 1589, with Thomas Morgan (b. c.1564), sixth son of Edmund Morgan (d. pre-1595) of Penllwyn-sarth in the parish of Mynyddislwyn, the son of Thomas Morgan (fl. 1538) of Machen. Thomas Morgan built Ruperra House or Castle and the Ty Coch or Red House in Cardiff (later the Cardiff Arms Inn) for a reputed £19,999 19s. 9d.; he was sheriff of Glamorgan 1617, steward to William, earl of Pembroke, and knighted at Wilton, 1623; he received Charles I at Ruperra 25-29 July 1645 in the final months of the Civil War, and was on the list of delinquents whose estates were to be sold in 1652.

John Morgan ('the merchant', dsp. 1715) bought Ruperra castle and estate in 1706. He made a number of other purchases in Glamorgan, including three parcels in the parish of Rudry bought in 1712 for £102, £226 and £104 10s. respectively (NLW: Tredegar Misc. Vols 198). John Morgan died unmarried in 1715, and his estates were inherited by his nephew and namesake John Morgan (1672-1719) of Tredegar.

The Ruperra appears to have retained its administrative independence from the Tredegar estate at this stage. By the end of the eighteenth century, the same agents were collecting Ruperra and Tredegar rents within some circuits, although the proceeds appear to have been accounted separately by estate.

In 1806 the several rent collections of the Tredegar, Ruperra, Dderw and Palleg estates, were reorganized to form unified county estates. The Ruperra rents in Monmouthshire were separated from the Ruperra estate and incorporated in the new Monmouthshire estate. The remaining Ruperra estate, often called 'the Ruperra estate in Glamorgan' continued for several more years. The term Glamorgan estate first appears in 1847, relating to the Ruperra estate in Glamorgan. The development of Cardiff and other towns during the nineteenth century resulted in the separation of the Cardiff ground rents and a Glamorgan town estate from the main Glamorgan estate.

The Glamorgan estate is to a large extent the successor to the Ruperra estate, and the Glamorgan audit books are to a large extent the successors to the Ruperra estate settled accounts.

AGR 3/1 begins with a rental only, for 1846, but from 1847 the annual rental is accompanied by other income and expenditure accounts and a balance is struck (as in the 1837-1844 volume, although it is now Henry John Davis in account with Sir Charles Morgan). The title Glamorgan estate first appears in 1847. From the beginning of this volume the parishes are arranged in alphabetical order, except that Llanfihangel-y-fedw comes before Cardiff, probably because Ruperra Castle is in Llanfihangel-y-fedw. The annual expenditure accounts in this and the following volumes detail repair and building work on the estate.

The Monmouthshire audit books clearly testify to the rapid growth of the town of Newport during the nineteenth century, and the Glamorgan audit books bear similar witness to the growth of Cardiff and, to a lesser extent, Pontypridd ('Newbridge' in the parish of Llanwynno). In 1854 an 'Improvement Account' appears (after the balance for that year). The rents accounted here are for premises at Tredegarville and Newtown (both Cardiff) and Longcross (Roath). In 1855 this account appears as 'Improvement Fund' (after the rental summary). This is also the pattern in 1856 and 1857. Premises at Newbridge [Pontypridd] appear in the 1855-1856 Improvement Fund accounts. In 1858 a ground rents account first appears, following Whitchurch in the rental. There are a considerable number of ground rents at Cardiff and Roath, mostly arranged by street under the headings 'Newtown &c' and 'Oakville' (Oakville including Tredegarville); quite a few at 'Newbridge in Llanwynno', again arranged by street; four at Whitchurch and one each at Gelli-gaer and Peterstone-super-montem. In 1859 a number of 'Splottlands' ground rents appear, arranged by street. In 1863, the Tredegarville rents appear separately, the one Roath rent also receives a separate heading in the summary (instead of coming under Oakville), and the Gelli-gaer and Peterstone-super-montem rents are transferred to the main rental after 1862.

The Newport estate started life as the Tredegar Wharf Company (TWC), created in 1807 by a deed of partnership and a 99 year lease. A copy of the deed, with an extent of the original estate is engrossed at the front of the TWC minute book (ANP /1).

The estate comprised the Tredegar premises in a number of streets in Newport, together with wharves ('Dock Parade' until 1859) and some surrounding agricultural land for expansion (the accounts include TWC stock brought to market every year until 1874). The TWC later changed its name to the Tredegar Wharf estate.

The expiry of the 1807 lease provided the opportunity for a re-organisation of the Tredegar estate in Newport. In 1906 the Tredegar Wharf estate, the Newport ground rent and the Newport rack rent accounts were merged to create a Newport rents audit. Between 1906 and 1918 a balance was struck in the audit book at the end of each year, with the agent in account with 'The Tredegar Estate (Newport Rents Department)'. A balance was also struck in 1919, but the totals were forwarded to the Monmouthshire town estate balance for that year. From 1920 onwards, no balance was struck at the end of the Newport Rents settled accounts books, and the totals of income and expenditure were transferred to the Monmouthshire town estate audit books. It can therefore be said that Newport Rents was a separate estate between 1906 and 1918, but was merely an element of the Monmouthshire town estate from 1919. However, despite the loss of its independence, there is no difference between the pre-1918 and post-1918 Newport records. They have therefore been kept together. The audit books continue to 1953.

Newport ground rents were originally accounted in the Monmouthshire estate audit books (AMA 5). With the rapid growth of Newport during the nineteenth century the ground rents multiply. They are first arranged by street in 1858/59 (AMA 5/6), and from 1888 are accounted in this separate series of volumes.

The Newport ground rents included ground rents in Maendy (from 1868), Pillgwenlli (from 1885), and Pentonville and Rhiwderyn (first appearing as a sub-heading under Basaleg in 1870). Two totals (Newport ground rents and Rhiwderyn ground rents) are reported to the 'Abstract of Rental' in the Monmouthshire estate audit book.

In common with other Tredegar estates, duplicate Newport ground rent audit books were produced in 1889 and 1890, but were then discontinued. If a duplicate was produced in 1888, it has not survived. AMA 5/2 is endorsed as Mr Carlisle's copy, and AMA 5/4 as Mr Rider's copy; these were successive London solicitors to the Tredegar estate. AMA 5/3 and 5/5 are Mr Justice the agent's copies.

In 1904, in a re-oranisation anticipating the ending of the Tredegar Wharf Company's lease, the Rhiwderyn ground rents were returned to the Monmouthshire estate audit books, and the Newport rack rents were transferred from the Monmouthshire estate audit books to the Newport ground rents (ANA 5/19). Some St Woolloos rents were transferred at the same time. The totals of the Newport ground rents, Newport rack rents and transferred St Woolloos rents were posted to the Newport estate audit book (ANA 1/27). The 1905 volume (ANA 5/20) is the last in this series, and follows the same pattern, with the ground rents followed by the rack rents (including the transferred St Woolloos rents), and the two totals appearing in the balance at the end of ANA 1/28.

The following year, the Newport ground rents and the Newport rack rents are merged with the Tredegar Wharf estate to form the Newport Rents Department, whose audit books continue the series of Tredegar Wharf estate audit books (ANA 1/30 onwards).