[r-t] History question

[Richard Smith]

Don Morrison wrote:

> Today I think most ringers tend to view things like Ilkeston, Granta
> and Cam as spliced, possibly at the half-lead.
>
> When such things were first being rung were they instead viewed as
> distinct methods? That they appear to have received their own names
> would seem to imply that was the case.

I've always assumed they were probably not viewed as 
distinct methods.  In fact, I've often wondered whether 
quite a number of old peals that are currently recorded as 
simply Kent, especially on higher numbers and on trickier 
bells, are quite likely some such variation.

For example, the two peals of 5088 Kent Max rung at St 
Paul's in 1894 and '96 respectively: do we think these were 
Kent in the modern sense?  I wonder whether some device was 
used to prevent the back bells from getting into the slow.

RAS