Jump to content

Timothy Dudley-Smith

Add links
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

This is an old revision of this page, as edited by HistoryTheorist (talk | contribs) at 04:18, 16 August 2024 (start expanding article). The present address (URL) is a permanent link to this revision, which may differ significantly from the current revision.

The Right Reverend

Timothy Dudley-Smith

OBE
Bishop of Thetford
DioceseNorwich
In office1981–1992
PredecessorHugh Blackburne
SuccessorHugo de Waal
Other post(s)Honorary assistant bishop in Salisbury (1992–2024)
Archdeacon of Norwich (1973–1981)
Orders
Ordination1950 (deacon); 1951 (priest)
Consecration1981
Personal details
Born(1926-12-26)26 December 1926
Manchester, England
Died12 August 2024(2024-08-12) (aged 97)
Cambridge, England
NationalityBritish
DenominationAnglican
ParentsArthur and Phyllis Dudley-Smith
Spouse
Arlette MacDonald
​
​
(m. 1959; died 2007)​
Children3
ProfessionBishop, hymnist
Alma materPembroke College, Cambridge

Timothy Dudley-Smith OBE (26 December 1926 – 12 August 2024) was a bishop of the Church of England and a noted hymnwriter. He wrote around 400 hymns, including "Tell Out, my Soul".

Life, education and ministry

Dudley-Smith was born on 26 December 1926 in Manchester, England, to Phyllis and Arthur Smith. His father was a schoolteacher in Derbyshire who instilled in Dudley-Smith a love for poetry.[1][2][3] Arthur fell ill and died when Dudley-Smith was eleven years old and shortly thereafter desired to be a minister.[4] He was educated at Tonbridge School before studying maths and then theology at Pembroke College, Cambridge.[1] After graduating in 1947, he began his ordination training at Ridley Hall, Cambridge.[5] He was ordained deacon in 1950 and priest in 1951 by Christopher Chavasse, the Bishop of Rochester.[1]

After ordination, Dudley-Smith served as an honorary chaplain to Chavasse, as well as head of the Cambridge University Mission in Bermondsey, South London.[1] In 1955, he was appointed editorial secretary of the Evangelical Alliance and editor of the new Crusade magazine, created after Billy Graham's 1954 London mission.[5][1] Dudley-Smith also began serving with the Church Pastoral Aid Society, serving as assistant secretary from 1959, then as secretary until 1973.[1] He served as Archdeacon of Norwich from 1973 to 1981 and as Bishop of Thetford from 1981 to 1991.[1] He also served as president of the Evangelical Alliance from 1987 to 1992.[6] He was chairman of the governors of Monkton Combe School from 1992 to 1997.[7]

In 1959, he married Arlette MacDonald. They were together for 48 years until her death in 2007; they had one son and two daughters.[1] His son, James, is also ordained in the Church of England, and currently serves as rector of St John's Church, Yeovil.[8]

Dudley-Smith was part of what has been described as a British "hymn explosion" after World War II.[9]

Dudley-Smith died in Cambridge on 12 August 2024, at the age of 97.[10]

Honours

Dudley-Smith was a member and honorary vice-president of the Hymn Society of Great Britain and Ireland; he was also awarded fellowships from the Hymn Society in the United States and Canada and the Royal School of Church Music.[11] In 2003, he was appointed an Officer of the Order of the British Empire "for services to hymnody".[11] In July 2009 he was awarded an honorary Doctor of Divinity degree by Durham University.[12]

Selected works

  • Dudley-Smith, Timothy (1987). A Flame of Love: a personal choice of Charles Wesley's verse. London: SPCK.
  • —————— (1989). Praying with the English Hymn Writers. London: SPCK.
  • —————— (1999). John Stott: The Making of a Leader. London: IVP.
  • —————— (2001). John Stott: A Global Ministry. London: IVP.
  • ——————; Dakers, Lionel (2001). Beneath a Travelling Star. Canterbury: Canterbury Press.
  • —————— (2003). A House of Praise: Collected Hymns 1961–2001. Oxford: Oxford University Press.
  • —————— (2006). A Door for the Word: 36 new hymns 2002–2005. Oxford: Oxford University Press.
  • ——————; Llewellyn, William (2006). A Calendar of Praise. Canterbury: Canterbury Press.
  • ——————; Llewellyn, William (2007). High Days and Holy Days. Canterbury: Canterbury Press.
  • ——————; Llewellyn, William (2008). The Voice of Faith. Canterbury: Canterbury Press.
  • ——————; Llewellyn, William (2009). Above Every Name. Canterbury: Canterbury Press.
  • —————— (2009). Snakes and Ladders: a Hymn Writer's Reflections. London: The Hymn Society of Great Britain and Ireland.
  • —————— (2009). Praise to the Name: 36 new hymns 2005–2008. Oxford: Oxford University Press.
  • ——————; Llewellyn, William (2010). Draw Near to God. Canterbury: Canterbury Press.
  • —————— (2011). Seasons and Reasons: New Hymns for various times and occasions. Bromsgrove: Christian Music Ministries.
  • —————— (2012). Beyond Our Dreaming: 36 new hymns 2008–2011. Oxford: Oxford University Press.
  • —————— (2015). A House of Praise 2: Collected Hymns 2002–2013. Oxford: Oxford University Press.
  • —————— (2017). A Functional Art: Reflections of a Hymn Writer. Oxford: Oxford University Press.
  • —————— (2019). A House of Praise 3: Collected Hymns 2013–2018. Oxford: Oxford University Press.

References

  1. ^ a b c d e f g h Saward, Michael (2006). "Timothy Dudley-Smith: An Acknowledged Master Craftsman" (PDF). Anvil. 23 (4): 290. Retrieved 3 January 2018.
  2. ^ "The Rt Rev Timothy Dudley-Smith, leading writer of singable hymns like Tell out, my soul – obituary". The Telegraph. 13 August 2024. Retrieved 16 August 2024.
  3. ^ Shirt, Esme (1 December 1997). "Lord, for the years..." Evangelicals Now. Retrieved 16 August 2024.
  4. ^ Silliman, Daniel (15 August 2024). "Died: Timothy Dudley-Smith, Who Turned Metrical Poetry into Hundreds of Hymns". Christianity Today. Archived from the original on 15 August 2024.
  5. ^ a b "A Song Was Heard at Christmas". Carols.net. 2012. Retrieved 2 December 2012.
  6. ^ Dudley-Smith, Timothy (1997). "Lord, for the Years..." Evangelicals Now. Interviewed by Shirt, Esme. Archived from the original on 27 June 2008. Retrieved 18 June 2008.
  7. ^ A Delightful Inheritance by P. LeRoy, Monkton Print, 2018.
  8. ^ "James Dudley-Smith". St John's Church. Retrieved 23 November 2021.
  9. ^ Giles, Gordon (28 October 2016). "Singing through the tide of change". Church Times. Retrieved 12 April 2022.
  10. ^ "Timothy Dudley-Smith, hymn-writer and bishop, has died". Church Times. 12 August 2024.
  11. ^ a b "Dudley-Smith, Timothy". Hope Publishing. Archived from the original on 5 June 2008. Retrieved 18 June 2008.
  12. ^ Watson, J. R. (2009). "Timothy Dudley Smith: Doctor of Divinity" (PDF). Durham, England: Durham University. Retrieved 15 August 2010.
Church of England titles
Preceded by Bishop of Thetford
1981–1992 		Succeeded by
Religious titles
Preceded by
Unknown
 President of the Evangelical Alliance
1987–1992 		Succeeded by
Retrieved from "https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Timothy_Dudley-Smith&oldid=1240577611"