Doubles (bells) - Permuting The Bells - Half-muffling

Half-muffling

For commemorative services such as funerals, memorial services and Remembrance Sunday, the bells are rung half-muffled. Very rarely, normally only for the death of a Sovereign, are the bells rung fully muffled.

To ring half-muffled a thick leather pad called a muffle is strapped to one side of each bell's clapper. This deadens the sound of alternate strokes of the bells, the muffled stroke sounding similar to an echo of the unmuffled stroke. In some areas the tenor bell (the lowest note) is left unmuffled to heighten the contrast.