Hi Michael, thank you for the input
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Originally Posted by Matchlock
... hoping to be protected from evil - either the gun exploding or an attacking enemy...
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It is amazing how people non initiated in early firearms history seem not to believe that the risk of guns exploding in the gunners faces was extremely high. I have read in more that one source that many a times gunners were selected among convicted guys
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Originally Posted by Matchlock
...I include images of two heavy Late Gothic wrought iron barrels in my collection, each ca. 35 cm long; one of them is struck with a group of three circles and illegible stylized letters (date?!) surmounted by a cross.
The other shows a cudely incised cross symbol right before the raised brim of the touch hole moulding ...
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Fascinating. I had already noticed the circles in that cannon of yours, but haven't discerned the cross.
That beats by far the humble mark in my example
Fernando