Is it a grenado or a spherical shot?

[Coot]

I have a 3" diameter (same as a 4 pounder) hollow cannon ball with a 1/2" fuse/fill hole. This came out of the river Chargres just below fort San Lorenzo in Panama. Seems small for an exploding shell but a bit big & heavy to be a (hand thrown) grenado. Any thoughts?

 

[Coot]

PS - the ball in question dates to either Henry Morgan's attack in 1671 or Admiral Vernon's in 1739.

 

[Treestalker]

Here in Arkansas 3" iron balls in solid and hollow are used in the feed bins of chicken houses to keep the feed broken up and flowing. I often thought a 3" bored cannon could have solid shot and case with the help of these balls. In the earlier days, some different size cannon were used, and I believe the OP's cannon ball was a legitimate entity in both shot and hand grenade. I understand that's how grenades got started.