Literature and history lovers are invited to a special evening on Thursday 7 December at the historic St Mary de Crypt.

The event will commemorate the life and influence of James 'Jemmy' Wood, one of the most famous residents buried at the church.

Jemmy was reputedly the wealthiest commoner in Victorian England. The source of Jemmy's fortune was owning the Gloucester Old Bank on Westgate Street. He was notorious for his miserly habits and loathed so much by the local community that they threw stones at his coffin during his funeral procession.

It was this unenviable reputation that brought him to the attention of one Charles Dickens, leading him to be immortalised in several novels and countless film and theatre adaptations.

A Celebration of A Christmas Carol and its links with Gloucester will feature:

• Jemmy Wood: Local historian and author Roger Smith gives a short lecture on the life of 'the Gloucester Miser' who served as Dickens' inspiration for Ebeneezer Scrooge in A Christmas Carol, the Jarndyce and Jarndyce case in Bleak House; and mentioned in Our Mutual Friend and The Pickwick Papers.
• A Christmas Carol: Drama students from The Crypt School, whose original site was the Tudor schoolroom at the church, perform an excerpt from the classic Christmas story.

George Roberts, director of drama at The Crypt School, said: "Students from The Crypt School are incredibly excited to showcase the opening act from A Christmas Carol. St Mary de Crypt is where Cryptians were first educated and to have the opportunity to perform A Christmas Carol in such a beautiful setting with great historical significance is truly special."

A Celebration of A Christmas Carol and its links with Gloucester takes place at St Mary de Crypt Church, Southgate Street, Gloucester, on Thursday 7 December at 7pm.

Refreshments will be available. Tickets cost £5 and are available from www.stmarydecrypt.org