House may have been based on the case that arose following irregularities in Wood's will, although the court system of the time was so slow and expensive that there are a number of other possible cases on which Jarndyce could just as easily have been based. Death Wood died in 1836 and was buried in St Mary de Crypt Church in Gloucester where there is a gravestone to his memory in the chancel. The crowd at his funeral reportedly "...evinced a levity of demeanor inconsistent with the solemnity of the occasion" and his coffin was said to have been stoned. Problems over his will led to a long court case that soaked up much of the funds in the estate. Wood never married and had no children.<ref>Leighton, Thomas. [https://books.google.com/books?id=iYAIAAAAQAAJ&hl=en&pg=PA1#v=onepage&q&f=false Extraordinary Facts and Circumstances Relating to the Last Will and Testament and First Codicil of the late Mr James Wood of Gloucester, Banker, Deceased.] London: Thomas Leighton, 1837, p.3.</ref> He left around £900,000 to be shared equally between Sir Matthew Wood, John Chadborn (Solicitor), Jacob Osborne and John S. Surman, who were also his executors. A damaged codicil was found that left money to the City of Gloucester and to other beneficiaries and it was wrangling over the authenticity of the codicil that caused the settlement of the estate to be delayed. Chadborn hanged himself in 1839 and the obituary notice in The Gentleman's Magazine noted that since Wood's death, Chadborn's attention had "been almost wholly engrossed with the proceedings consequent upon the disputed validity of the will". See also George Worrall Counsel References Further reading Savory, Charles H. Life and Anecdotes of Jemmy Wood, the eccentric banker, merchant and draper, of Gloucester. Also an account of the remarkable trial with reference to his will.''. London & Cirencester: Kent & Co., 1883. 1756 births 1836 deaths British bankers Misers People from Gloucester Westgate, Gloucester Aldermen of Gloucester