Robert Arthington was known to his neighbours as a miser. He lived and slept in just one room of a large house in Leeds, England, and did everything he could to keep his personal expenses to a minimum. He was saving up his money for something which he considered more important.
During his lifetime (1823-1900), Robert Arthington invested heavily in British and American railways. Then he re-invested the proceeds in global mission. His particular passion was investing in spreading the Gospel as widely and rapidly as possible. Many of his investments were anonymous, but others were usually conditional on the recipients advancing into areas where the good news had never been told, particularly in Africa.
On his death in 1900, Robert Arthington left over one million pounds to missions. His expressed preferences were pioneering Bible translation work and pioneering evangelism amongst unreached people groups. Most of his bequest went to financing the work of hundreds of missionaries in Africa and Asia. Today there are more Christians in Africa and Asia than there are in Europe and the USA.