You can download this volume here - Electric Scotland

Edinburgh in 1544 125
pressed into the service ; the women and children carrying what
they could a mattress, a cooking pot, a bag of oatmeal, a few of
the more valued and most portable of their household gods.
Some would take their way along the edge of the swampy ground
that led to the lake and village of if
Corstorphine, guided, night
overtook them on their journey, by the lamp which was placed
on the end of the old
Collegiate Church there, where the
Forrester tombs, still existing, were already placed others would
;
strike further south, and go up the wooded banks of the Water
of Leith and its through deep depths to the little
village of
Colinton, or, as it was then called, Hailes. Among these fugitives
were likely to be seen the family of the Provost, Sir Adam
Otterburn, whose place of Redhall was close
by. Many of the
vales of
fleeing crowd would go still further and seek in the green
the Pentlands that shelter and safety which was denied them
nearer home. All this is a mere theory, but probably something
of the sort took place. The crowd, in thus flying from
the doomed town, were in no great danger. The English
were strangers to the country, and, even had they so desired,
would have found some difficulty
in pursuing them. To
the north of the town, the side from which the English
approached, the North Loch and marshy ground effectually
prevented any advance ; while to the west the same conditions of
morass and swamp prevailed, rendering any pursuit difficult, if
not impossible, except for those who knew the narrow and
perilous ways, and had used them from infancy.
All night long the rising flames from the blazing town lit up
the darkness. The next day and the next and the day after that
c
there came bands of English from the camp at Leith, and began
where they left off,' burning and till plundering the sack of the
city was complete. It is needless to say that Holyrood did not
escape. The Abbey Church was more or less destroyed and
ruthlessly ravaged. Amongst the loot then carried off two
articles can be traced. Sir Richard Lea of Sopwell, who appears
to have been in command of the English pioneers, and as such
particularly responsible for the general destruction which occurred,
carried off a brazen font and the beautiful lectern of the Church.
On the former he caused an arrogant inscription to be engraved,
of which the following is a translation :
( When Leeth, a toune of good account among the Scots, and
Edinburgh their cheefe Cittie, were on a fire, Sir Richard Lea,
knight, saved me from burning and brought mee into England.