Since 1544, when the Earl of Hertford with his English army landed at Leith with orders to "sack Leith and burn and subject it, and put man, woman and child to fire and sword" the town had to bear the trials of war and change. As a separate town, Leith's importance in the past was based on being Edinburgh's and Scotland's principal port. Edinburgh merchants wanted to retain their valuable access to the sea, so much of the land where Leith stood was gradually accquired and after a brief period of independence Leith was amalgamated with Edinburgh in 1920. As the gateway to Scotland, Leith ships did trade with the Baltic, the Low Countries, France, America and the Mediterranean, carrying coal, grain, fish and hides and returning with spices, cloth, whale oil and wine. Shipbuilding and ship repair work were also important. Leith yards began to specialise in smaller ships designed for specific purposes, but the last yard closed in 1983. It is on this site that the new O ... < more >