Thin / light bells and the tenor notes in Dove

[oakcroft13]

In response to various enquiries after my health - I am still here, 
and still reading. Excuses for not posting messages recently are:
* I didn't have anything useful / helpful to say
* I have been rather busy at work, e.g. just got back from a 
conference in Copenhagen (with not a bell heard!)
* As some people already know, I have been accepted by the OU to work 
part-time for a PhD in bell acoustics (what else?).
I have been rather buried in some hard theoretical work to do with 
clappering, the effect of buildings on bell sound etc. Anyone 
interested had better contact me off-line as it's nothing to do with 
history.

My contribution to the 'lightest bell for its note' discussion was 
going to be Castleton - 11-2-0 in E (633Hz), but I see they have been 
well beaten by other contenders!

As regards the notes given in Dove, I have always assumed that given 
the different methods of pitch estimation, changes in tuning over the 
years, etc. that they could not be relied on as anything other than a 
vague indication of the note. It might be a bit cavalier, or unfair, 
but when I analyse a peal of bells I don't even bother comparing the 
tenor nominal to Dove's note for the bell.

I do know of one instance where, after retuning, the tenor nominal 
went DOWN and the note in Dove went UP! 'Nuff said.

Bill H