  We report the discovery, using FORS1 at the ESO-VLT and ESPaDOnS at the CFHT,
of magnetic fields in the young A-type stars HD 101412, V380 Ori and HD 72106A.
Two of these stars (HD 101412 and V380 Ori) are pre-main sequence Herbig Ae/Be
(HAeBe) stars, while one (HD 72106A) is physically associated with a HAeBe
star. Remarkably, evidence of surface abundance spots is detected in the
spectra of HD 72106A. The magnetic fields of these objects display intensities
of order 1 kG at the photospheric level, are ordered on global scales, and
appear in approximately 10% of the stars studied. Based on these properties,
the detected stars may well represent pre-main sequence progenitors of the
magnetic Ap/Bp stars. The low masses inferred for these objects (2.6, 2.8 and
2.4 solar masses) represent additional contradictions to the hypothesis of
Hubrig et al. (2000), who claim that magnetic fields appear in
intermediate-mass stars only after 30% of their main sequence evolution is
complete. Finally, we fail to confirm claims by Hubrig et al. (2004) of
magnetic fields in the Herbig Ae star HD 139614.
