A Purple Robe

Short Name: Timothy Dudley‑Smith
Full Name: Dudley‑Smith, Timothy, 1926–2024
Birth Year: 1926
Death Year: 2024

Biography:
Dudley‑Smith, Timothy was born on 26 December 1926 in Manchester, England to Arthur and Phyllis Dudley‑Smith. Early in life he developed a love for poetry that would shape his hymn writing. He was educated at Tonbridge School and then studied mathematics and theology at Pembroke College, Cambridge, followed by ordination training at Ridley Hall, Cambridge. He was ordained deacon in 1950 and priest in 1951 in the Church of England.

His early ministry included curacy in Northumberland Heath, leadership in the Cambridge University Mission in Bermondsey, editing Crusade magazine, and service with the Church Pastoral Aid Society. From 1973 to 1981 he served as Archdeacon of Norwich, and from 1981 to 1991 as Bishop of Thetford in the Diocese of Norwich. He also served as President of the Evangelical Alliance.

Dudley‑Smith began writing hymns in the early 1960s, with his first widely published text appearing in the Anglican Hymn Book (1965). Over a career spanning more than sixty years, he wrote around 400–500 hymn texts, many of which appear in hymnals throughout the English‑speaking world and in translation.

He was an honorary vice‑president of the Hymn Society of Great Britain and Ireland, a Fellow of the Hymn Society in the United States and Canada, and a Fellow of the Royal School of Church Music. Honors included an OBE for services to hymnody (2003), a Lambeth MLitt (1991), and an honorary Doctor of Divinity from the University of Durham (2009).

Dudley‑Smith married June Arlette MacDonald in 1959; she predeceased him in 2007. They had one son and two daughters. He died 12 August 2024 in Cambridge, England, aged 97.

Hymns in Common Use:
Some of his best‑known hymn texts include:

• Tell Out, My Soul (1961/1962) — a paraphrase of the Magnificat widely sung in Anglican and other traditions.

• Lord, for the Years (1967) — often used at services marking anniversaries and national ceremonies.

• Sing a New Song and others frequently found in modern hymnals.

Publications:
His hymn texts have been collected in multiple volumes, including Lift Every Heart: Collected Hymns 1961–1983, Songs of Deliverance: Thirty‑six New Hymns, and extensive collected editions such as A House of Praise series.

Notes:
Dudley‑Smith’s hymns are characterized by biblical fidelity, strong metre, clear theology, and accessibility for congregational singing. They cover seasons of the Christian year, doctrinal themes, discipleship, prayer, and praise, and have been translated into several languages.