army landed near the port of Leith from whence it marched on Edinburgh. The invaders pillaged and laid waste the town, and the surrounding areas and villages, excepting only the castle. They destroyed Holyrood Abbey and carried off much of its property as plunder. Henry hoped his aggression would force the Scots to accept the marriage treaty. The Earl of Hertford was accompanied to Edinburgh by Sir Richard Lee who was a military engineer - a destroyer and builder of fortifications. His services to the English crown for his work in Scotland (and elsewhere) was formally recognised in 1544 when he was knighted and appointed Surveyor of the King's Works. He was granted the ground covered by St Albans monastery (but not the church which was bought by the townspeople), Sopwell Priory, and the rectorship of St Stephen's church. This fact, when taken with circumstantial evidence, suggests it was probably at this time the Holyrood Abbey lectern found its way into this Hertfordshire church, with the other Scottish plunder of Sir Richard Lee. English Civil War In 1642, the English Civil War began and St Albans became a Parliamentarian stronghold. Parliament passed new laws which authorised the destruction of religious images and articles. In response many religious items and artefacts were hidden by Anglican clergy from their Puritan prosecutors. In August 1643, more draconian measures were introduced and continuity of the St Stephen's parish registers is broken perhaps hinting at the turbulent nature of those times. It was during this period of national upheaval that the lectern disappeared. Who removed it and exactly why remains a mystery to this day. Over 100 years were to pass before the lectern came to light once more. In 1748, the Montagu family tomb in the chancel of St Stephen's church was opened up for an interment and the lectern was found lying in the grave. It was retrieved and brought back into use. Scottish requests for return Since the eighteenth century, Scottish academics, clergy and patriots have sought the return of the lectern. A review of the history of the lectern in the newspaper The Scottish Guardian, dated 2 May 1879, finished with a plea for readers to find a way to "... secure the lectern for our new Cathedral in Edinburgh. Who will take up the matter?" In November 1879, an approach from the Lord Provost of Edinburgh was rebuffed by the