Following the announcement on the evening of Thursday 8th September 2022 of the passing of Her Majesty the Queen, bellringers across the country mobilised to provide the nation with the distinctive sound of mourning.
At 12 noon on Friday 9th September bells tolled, or were rung half- or fully-muffled.
At Desford 96 strokes were tolled:
Tolling and half muffled ringing at Long Clawson:
Through the next ten days, towers arranged commemorative ringing.
A quarter peal at Sharnford:
Fully muffled ringing at Desford.
Many towers arranged to have ringing on the morning of Monday 19th September, prior to the state funeral.
And a particularly emotive piece of ringing is this whole pull and stand at Kirby Muxloe:
Reports from across the county
Syston
Vicki Friend organised ringing at Syston before the Queen’s Funeral on Monday 19th September. There were 9 ringers who all had a turn and then Matthew Jones tolled the tenor 96 times. Several of these ringers then went on to Queniborough, where again, 9 ringers attended and all had the opportunity to ring in honour of The Queen.
Aylestone
St Andrews, Aylestone, tolled the muffled tenor, from Noon on Friday 9th September, in loving memory of her late majesty Queen Elizabeth II. On Saturday 10th September a touch of 240 Plain Bob Doubles was rung open to commemorate the proclamation of ascendancy of HIs Majesty King Charles III by Elizabeth Wright, Winifred Warwick, Rebecca Lee, Michael Pickering, Charlie Worger and Sam Orton. On Monday 19th September the tenor was tolled 96 times for the funeral of her late majesty Queen Elizabeth II.
God Save the King.
Desford
At 12 noon on Friday 9th September the tenor was tolled 96 times. This was followed by fully muffled general ringing. On Sunday 18th September we rang a quarter peal of Plain Bob Doubles, and had more general ringing prior to the state funeral on Monday 19th September. We aimed to include all of our ringers during these special pieces of ringing, and were able to have 5 local ringers in the quarter peal, and our newest learner rang rounds (backstroke only) for the first time as part of the general ringing.
Staunton Harold
Ringing the bells fully muffled, with the tenor open at back stroke, immediately prior to the funeral of Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II. A truly historic occasion and the first time these bells at the National Trust owned church have been rung full circle for over 10 years. The bells remain unavailable at present and its requested that this is respected. A huge thank you to Lewis Benfield for liaising so well with the NT.
A list of performances rung in memory of HM Queen Elizabeth II can be found here:
[…] queen elizabeth ii – in memoriam […]