Timothy Dudley-Smith, the Bishop of Thetford from 1981 to 1991 has died, aged 97. Bishop Timothy died on Monday 12 August 2024.
Prior to being consecrated as a bishop, the celebrated hymn writer was the Archdeacon of Norwich from 1973 to 1981. In total Bishop Timothy and his wife Arlette spent 18 years serving the people and places of the Diocese of Norwich where they were much loved.
For 12 years, Bishop Timothy was Chairman of the Diocesan Council of Education and its successor, the Board of Education. As well as this, he supported the University of East Anglia and had oversight of Anglican ministry in the three prisons within the Diocese.
Bishop Dudley-Smith wrote the lyrics of around 400 hymns, among which the most familiar are ‘Lord, for the years’ and ‘Tell Out, my soul’. He retired in 1991 and moved away from the Diocese of Norwich in 1992.
Paying tribute, the Bishop of Norwich, the Rt Revd Graham Usher, said;
“Bishop Timothy Dudley-Smith was a much-respected Bishop of Thetford from 1981 to 1991, having previously been Archdeacon of Norfolk. Bishop Timothy was particularly involved with education and vocations within the diocese.”
A retired priest told me how Bishop Timothy gave him the thumbs up to continuing his ordination training when others thought him too ‘risky’ as a long-haired biker. Bishop Timothy and his wife, Arlette, served the Diocese of Norwich for 18 years and continued to pay an active interest in our life in retirement.
When I became Bishop of Norwich, Bishop Timothy wrote a most warm and encouraging letter, and we corresponded further about his passion for the environment. Of course, he was a well-known hymn-writer, including the block-buster ‘Tell out my soul’ which has encouraged many people in their Christian faith, or to add their ‘yes’ to God’s call in their lives and make a commitment to following Jesus. In the words of that hymn, may Bishop Timothy now fully know “the greatness of the Lord.”
Here is a goodbye message on Bishop Timothy’s retirement, written in ‘Norwich Diocesan News’ from January 1992. Photo credit: Eastern Counties Newspaper.
