A DORSET man who was renowned for looking after the pennies has left more than £3 million to charity.

To villagers in Shillingstone, near Blandford, Henry Reddaway, 93, was affectionately known as a 'crusty bachelor' who was reluctant to spend money.

He had worn the same tweed coat for more than 20 years and even picked up rusty nails from the gutter to repair his cottage.

But villagers were amazed to discover that the retired linguist had amassed a fortune of £3.5million during his careful existence.

One neighbour Eustace Rawlinson said: "He was a crusty bachelor - the kind of man who never spent a penny if he didn't have to.

"Once when he was treasurer of the parish church, my wife used a piece of paper in the vestry to write down the collection and got a right telling off from Henry the next day for wasting paper."

He said on another occasion Mr Reddaway was helping to clean the church and got covered in dust.

"There was a lot of dust around and all our clothes got filthy including Henry's overcoat. But he still wore it every day up to the day he died."

Mr Reddaway's reputation as an eccentric was confirmed last year when his nephew begged a court to confiscate the his Austin Metro because he feared his driving posed a danger to other road users.

Mr Reddaway was a graduate of King's College Cambridge and had lived in the village more than 20 years.

He spoke eight languages and had served in the armed forces in Germany and India.

He never married and left the bulk of his estate to charities, including The National Trust, Friends of the Lake District, King's College, Cambridge Appeal Fund, the NSPCC and Age Concern. He also left money to the church of Holy Rood in the village.

It is thought he inherited most of his fortune when his wealthy parents died some years ago.