A great photo, I assume that these are British, if so the presence of lugs means they are mortar shells for either 10 or 13 inch mortars. 8 inch mortar shells were deemed light enough to be placed by hand. The lugs & rings were cast in place but were prone to being broken when stacking & transporting etc, they also meant that after being cast the shells had to be cleaned by hand. In January 1856 Lewis holes were approved for use instead. These were simply two inclined holes & the lifting devices, beam hooks for 13 inch & hand hooks for 10 inch shells, had short chains with pins that fitted the holes & which jammed in place whilst the shell's weight was in play. With Lewis holes the shells could be milled (tumbled) after being cast, thereby reducing their cost of manufacture. These shells therefore predate circa 1856. Unlike common & shrapnel shells, mortar shells were not fitted with wood bottoms, mortar barrels being short enough to enable direct placement with fuze forward. Adrian
