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<DIV><FONT size=2 face="Comic Sans MS">Thanks to David for a very full and
informative reply - all useful. I think Beetley can be easily beaten for the
earliest radial canons, though, as I've seen mediaeval bells with six canons set
radially (can't cite an example off the top of my head though). Of the
Birmingham founders, Barwell certainly used Doncaster heads, but Carr and Blews
used traditional canons.</FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT size=2 face="Comic Sans MS"></FONT> </DIV>
<DIV><FONT size=2 face="Comic Sans MS">Regarding argents, I agree with DLC
that "<FONT face=Arial>It all depends on how the argent is defined" and
should have perhaps used the term "raised argent" in my earlier posting -
i.e. the key thing with what Rod calls short canons is that the top of the
argent (as DLC says, essentially a solid core) is more or less flush with the
canons.</FONT></FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT size=2 face=Arial></FONT> </DIV>
<DIV><FONT size=2 face=Arial>CP</FONT></DIV></BODY></HTML>