Routley, born in Brighton, was a Congregational Church minister, composer and eminent church musicologist. He was educated at Lancing College and Oxford. He was chaplain of Mansfield College from 1948 to 1959 and then held appointments as minister in Edinburgh and in 1967-74 at St James United Reform Church in Northumberland Road, Newcastle. In 1970-71 he was Head of the Congregational Church before becoming Professor of Church Music at Westminster Choir College, Princeton, New Jersey in 1975.

A writer and speaker of wit and wisdom, Routley contributed greatly to the ‘hymn explosion’ of the 1970s. His publications include Congregational Praise (1951), The University Carol Book (1961) as well as critical and historical works on hymns, carols and church music.. He wrote the preface to the Summit Choir Book, and composed the hymn tune Sharpthorne.