Arthur Twistleton Polhill (7 February 1862 – 21 November 1935), born Arthur Twistleton Polhill-Turner (the name Turner was discarded in 1902 by

deed poll A deed poll (plural: deeds poll) is a legal document binding on a single person or several persons acting jointly to express an intention or create an obligation. It is a deed, and not a contract because it binds only one party (law), party. Et ...

), was an English

Anglican Anglicanism is a Western Christian tradition that has developed from the practices, liturgy, and identity of the Church of England following the English Reformation, in the context of the Protestant Reformation in Europe. It is one of th ...

missionary A missionary is a member of a Religious denomination, religious group which is sent into an area in order to promote its faith or provide services to people, such as education, literacy, social justice, health care, and economic development.Tho ...

. He was one of the

Cambridge Seven The Cambridge Seven were six students from Cambridge University and one from the Royal Military Academy, who in 1885, decided to become missionaries to China through the China Inland Mission. The seven were: * Charles Thomas Studd * Montagu H ...

, seven young men from England that travelled to China in order to continue

Hudson Taylor James Hudson Taylor (; 21 May 1832 – 3 June 1905) was a British Baptist Christian missionary to China and founder of the China Inland Mission (CIM, now OMF International). Taylor spent 51 years in China. The society that he began was respons ...

's missionary work there.

Early life

Arthur Polhill-Turner was born on 7 February 1862. He was educated at

Eton College Eton College () is a public school in Eton, Berkshire, England. It was founded in 1440 by Henry VI under the name ''Kynge's College of Our Ladye of Eton besyde Windesore'',Nevill, p. 3 ff. intended as a sister institution to King's College, C ...

and

Trinity Hall, Cambridge Trinity Hall (formally The College or Hall of the Holy Trinity in the University of Cambridge) is a constituent college of the University of Cambridge. It is the fifth-oldest surviving college of the university, having been founded in 1350 by ...

Christian evangelism

In November 1882, Polhill-Turner was deeply moved by the American evangelist

Dwight L. Moody Dwight Lyman Moody (February 5, 1837 – December 26, 1899), also known as D. L. Moody, was an American evangelist and publisher connected with Keswickianism, who founded the Moody Church, Northfield School and Mount Hermon School in Massa ...

’s talks to Trinity students. Recognizing the seriousness of following

Christ Jesus, likely from he, יֵשׁוּעַ, translit=Yēšūaʿ, label=Hebrew/Aramaic ( AD 30 or 33), also referred to as Jesus Christ or Jesus of Nazareth (among other Names and titles of Jesus in the New Testament, names and titles), was ...

, he only decided to follow him after thoroughly thinking through the implications of such a decision. He was the first of the Cambridge Seven to have the inkling that China was for him, and soon after his decision to follow Christ he began to pursue this desire with intensity, convincing a few of the others to join him. In 1885 he and his brother,

Cecil Polhill Cecil Henry Polhill, formerly Cecil Henry Polhill-Turner (23 February 1860 in Bedfordshire – 9 March 1938 in Hampstead, London) was a British Pentecostal leader and missionary. Early life Cecil Henry Polhill was born on 23 February 1860. H ...

, became affiliated with the

China Inland Mission OMF International (formerly Overseas Missionary Fellowship and before 1964 the China Inland Mission) is an international and interdenominational Evangelical Christian missionary society with an international centre in Singapore. It was founded i ...

(CIM). Initially signed up with the

Church Missionary Society The Church Mission Society (CMS), formerly known as the Church Missionary Society, is a British mission society working with the Christians around the world. Founded in 1799, CMS has attracted over nine thousand men and women to serve as mission ...

(CMS) before switching to the CIM, Arthur, now an ordained Anglican, retained a strong connection to the CMS even though he was technically a CIM missionary. He left for western China (

Sichuan Sichuan (; zh, c=, labels=no, ; zh, p=Sìchuān; alternatively romanized as Szechuan or Szechwan; formerly also referred to as "West China" or "Western China" by Protestant missions) is a province in Southwest China occupying most of the ...

, formerly spelt ''Szechwan'') on 5 February 1885. Together with

Montagu Proctor-Beauchamp Sir Montagu Harry Proctor-Beauchamp, 7th Baronet (19 April 1860 – 26 October 1939) was a British Anglican Christian missionary. Biography Proctor-Beauchamp was the fourth son of Sir Thomas William Brograve Proctor-Beauchamp, 4th Baronet, ...

and

William Cassels William Wharton Cassels (11 March 1858 – 7 November 1925) was an Anglican missionary bishop. Early life and education Cassels was born in Oporto, Portugal, the sixth son of John Cassels, a merchant, and Ethelinda Cox, a distant relation of Wa ...

, the three established a proper

Church of England The Church of England (C of E) is the established Christian church in England and the mother church of the international Anglican Communion. It traces its history to the Christian church recorded as existing in the Roman province of Britain ...

diocese in Szechwan. He spent ten years in

Bazhong Bazhong () is a prefecture-level city in north-eastern Sichuan province, China. Its population was 2,712,894 at the 2020 census whom 1,064,766 lived in Bazhou and Enyang urban districts. History Bazhong became a prefecture-level city in 1993. Its ...

between 1888 and 1898, before relocating to

Dazhou Dazhou () is a prefecture-level city in the northeast corner of Sichuan province, China, bordering Shaanxi to the north and Chongqing to the east and south. As of 2020 census, Dazhou was home to 5,385,422 inhabitants whom 1,850,869 lived in the ...

in 1899. On 23 February 1904, construction of a large multi-purpose Gospel Hall, or Gospel Church ( zh, t=福音堂, s=福音堂, p=Fúyīn táng, links=no) started in Dazhou, under the supervision of Arthur, and was complete by August. A number of outstations were established following the building's completion.

Death

He died on 21 November 1935.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Polhill-Turner, Arthur 1862 births 1935 deaths People educated at Eton College Alumni of Trinity College, Cambridge Anglican missionaries in Sichuan British expatriates in China English Anglican missionaries Diocese of Szechwan

Early life

Christian evangelism

Death

See also

References