Series AMA 5 - Monmouthshire audit books and rentals

The main series of Monmouthshire audit books, covering the period from the reorganisation of the various Tredegar estate collections into county estates in 1802, to the sale of the estate in 1957. The series contains the audit books of the Monmouthshire estate, 1802-1918, and the Monmouthshire agricultural estate, 1919-1957. -- The Newport Ground Rents are included until 1887 (AMA 5/13), after which they are separated out to form a new series in 1888 (ANA 5). The audit book for 1915-1916 appears not to have survived. In 1919 the Monmouthshire estate was divided, the Monmouthshire town estate (AMA 6) being separated from what now became the Monmouthshire agricultural estate. The agricultural estate was very much the continuation of the Monmouthshire estate, with premises transferred to the 'Town Rents Department' (the Monmouthshire town estate) actually listed in the 1919 agricultural estate audit, although their rents are only accounted for in terms of decrease from the previous year's Monmouthshire estate rent income. The rent income of the undivided estate was £29,399 in 1918, as compared to the agricultural estate's £23,564 in 1919. Even in 1920, when the transferred premises cease to be listed, all the parishes represented in 1918 continue to be listed. However, Rhiwderyn disappears after 1919 (to AMA 6/1, fo. 84), Shirenewton and Llanfair Cilgedin disappear after 1920, there is no mention of Ifton (under Roggiet in AMA 5/26) after 1922, Caerleon disappears after 1923, Goldcliff appears in 1929, Peterstone-super-montem disappears after 1941, Malpas after 1942 and Caer-went after 1950, and Honeywood appears in 1951. From 1921 onwards 'School lands' are described as 'Rowland Morgan's [or Morgan] charity lands'; they disappear after 1938. -- The Glamorgan agricultural estate is incorporated into the Monmouthshire agricultural estate audit in 1939 (from AGR 3/26 to AMA 5/35), adding rents in the parishes of Eglwysilan, Gelli-gaer, Llanedern, Llanfihangel-y-fedw, Llanisien, Llanwynno, Llys-faen, Peterston-super-montem, Rhyd-y-gwern, Rhydri and Whitchurch; Rhydri disappears from the 'Summary' after 1949, but the Tredegar premises in that parish appear to have been sold in 1941 or earlier (see AMA 5/36, pp. 27 and 195). From 1939 the trend is towards amalgamating the rentals, with the Monmouthshire agricultural rents incorporating the Brecon rents in 1940, the mineral estate in 1949. -- The agricultural estate audit books/rentals for 1944-1948 are missing. AMA 5/37 and AMA 5/38 do not contain details of expenditure and annual balances. They are entitled 'Agricultural estate rentals'. The total income from the agricultural and mineral estate in 1957 was £55,681. -- There is a duplicate series of audit books for the years 1832-1890 (AMA 5/39-48), which run parallel to AMA 5/3-13, apart from some variation in the 'Remarks' column. AMA 5/9-14 have the auditor's name (Mr Carlisle) written at the very beginning of each volume, while AMA 5/40-41 and AMA 5/44-48 have the agent's name (Frederick Justice). The duplicate series of audit books was discontinued after 1890, with a single run of Monmouthshire audit books from 1891 onwards, at much the same time as Tredegar's Newport, Breconshiere and Glamorgan estates were discontinuing their duplicate audit books. The last volume of the duplicate series, covering 1888-1890, was taken up again in 1893 and used as the audit book for 1893-1894; for the sake of convenience this volume has been listed at AMA 5/15 with the main series of audit books rather than with the duplicates. -- The extent given for each volume is taken from the page or folio number on which the text ends, eg, AMA 5/4 is given as 618 pp., and AMA 5/5 as 286 ff. However this may not be a true reflection of the extent of the volume in every case, as AMA 5/34-35 at least contain a mixture of page and folio numbers. AMA 5/34 contains ff. 1-36, pp. 37-84, ff. 85-120, pp. 121-168, ff. 169-204, pp. 205-254.