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Trinity College: The Ghostly Scholars Who Never Left

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Haunted by its former Fellows, Trinity College in Dublin is said to be filled with eerie spirits where even the bell tolls after dark when the shadows take over campus. 

Trinity College Dublin is the oldest surviving university in Ireland, founded in 1592. If we are to believe the rumors, the college is also notorious for its haunted ghost stories and is said to be one of Dublin’s most haunted landmarks. 

Read More: Check out all ghost stories from Ireland

Its alumni include many great names, and some of them are more fitting to study at a haunted college than others. Most notably Bram Stoker, the creator of Dracula, who studied here from 1866 to 1870. But who were the students and staff said to linger even after The Campanile bells rang for the last time?

The Haunted Trinity College

The most infamous haunting is tied to Edward Ford, a former lecturer and Fellow whose stern temperament made him deeply unpopular with the undergraduates as he had a habit of interfering with student matters, being harsh and disciplinarian. He was also very young, being around 28 when he died and is still seen by people around campus. 

On March 7th in 1734, after a night of heavy drinking, a group of drunken students decided to teach him a lesson after he had scolded them after they had trashed the rooms of Ford’s colleagues, Hugh Graffan. They entered the Front Gate wearing all white, beating up the porter who was stationed there. 

They wanted first to break his windows, but Ford saw them and shot at them with a pistol and injured one from his bedroom window. Now it all escalated and they came back outside of his room at House 25 in the Rubrics with firearms themselves. 

They fired shots into his rooms at the Rubrics, the oldest surviving building in the college. Ford had been urged to stay in his bed, but he went to the window in his night dress and confronted the students. Two shots struck Ford in the head and body, mortally wounding him. Although a surgeon was called, he died two hours after being shot, deeply in pain. On his deathbed, he refused to reveal the names of his killers, instead uttering the chilling words: “I do not know, but God forgive them, I do.”

The matter was investigated and four students were accused, but they were all acquitted as most of the witnesses had been drinking and were unable to identify them and had contradictory stories. Although they were acquitted by the court, the Board had all of them expelled from the college. 

Ford Haunting the Rubrics Building

Forgiveness didn’t seem to bring him peace however. Since then, Ford’s spirit has been seen wandering the side of the Rubrics at dusk, dressed in his scholar’s powdered wig, gown, and knee breeches. 

Students and staff alike have reported catching sight of a figure gliding silently past the red-brick façade, strolling down to Botany Bay before his form vanishes into the shadows before anyone can draw closer. His presence is not vengeful however, although his murderers went without any punishment at all, and went on to have great careers, even after being expelled.

The Legend of The Campanile Bells

The Campanile in Front Square is an iconic landmark of College and was built in 1853 and although there are no ghosts haunting it per se, it certainly has a haunting superstition lingering over it. 

Legend has it that if a student walks underneath the Campanile as the bell tolls within the tower, they will fail all of their exams. 

Today, the bells are automated, but still, people claim they ring at completely random times and the students avoid it just in case. Some say that there is a way to avoid failing though by touching the foot of former Provost George Salmon’s statue before the bell stops ringing. Salmon is by the way known for promising that no woman would ever study in Trinity.

The Ghost of George Francis Fitzgerald

Another ghost of a former staff member at Trinity College said to haunt the campus is that of George Francis Fitzgerald. He was an Irish theoretical physicist in the 1800s and was working as a tutor at the college. He is mostly known for the Fitzgerald-Lorentz contraction, a theory of the relativity of space to speed. This would become important for Albert Einstein’s special theory of relativity. 

Fitzgerald died in 1901 at the young age of 41, after he became ill with stomach problems. Many attribute his illness and death to overwork. 

Students now believe that the ghost of Fitzgerald haunts the Physical Laboratory, now known as the Fitzgerald laboratory even though he never stepped foot in the building when he was alive. The Physical Laboratory was built in 1905, four years after Fitzgerald’s death.

The Ghost of Thomas Meredith

Another mathematician said to haunt the halls is the ghost of Thomas Meredith who was a mathematician and a Fellow at Trinity College. He is said to glide across the grass outside the Provost’s House before disappearing when reaching Challoner’s Corner. 

There are also those claiming to have seen a ghost standing in the nave of the College Chapel after evensong in the mid 19th century. This ghost however is much more mysterious and not as widely talked about. 

Archbishop Narcissus Marsh was the Provost of Trinity College during the 1670s and is also one of the ghosts said to haunt the campus. First and foremost he is said to haunt the Marsh’s library right by the college campus, searching for a lost note between the pages of the books. Read more: The Haunting in Marsh’s Library in Dublin. He is however also reported to have been seen haunting the college campus.

The Ghosts of the Victims of Body Snatching

As many universities in the 18th and 19th century, Trinity College’s medical departments relied heavily on the dead bodies sold to them by body snatchers. Before the Anatomy Act of 1832, only criminals could be used legally for anatomical study. But the market for fresh corpses was higher than dead criminals, so many in medical academia turned to illegal means. A lucrative business once, people dug up freshly buried bodies to sell to the university who dissected them and studied them in the Anatomy Theatres. 

In 1999, close to the Eavan Boland Library, construction workers uncovered remains of at least 20 people that had been buried in shallow graves to cover up the crimes of those buying these corpses.  Their bones all showed signs of dissection and careless disposal. This was also the case close to Trinity’s old anatomy theatres at the E3 Learning Foundry where they found skeletons dating back as far as 1711. 

Even to this day, staff and students claim to have experienced ghostly activity in the School of Medicine. Shadows and disembodied footsteps after nightfall are said to have made at least one night shift worker refuse to come back. 

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References:

The Rubrics – Wikipedia

Dark Stories in Dublin /2

Old Trinity: Murder and sprees in rooms

The secret spirits and superstitions of Trinity

Trinity College | Explore Haunted Ireland 

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The Ghost Soldiers of Rapperswil Ringing the Bell of St. John

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In the middle of the night, it was said that the bells of St. John Church in Rapperswil, Switzerland started to toll. When the churchwarden went to investigate, it was said that he saw the headless ghosts of the fallen soldiers from the Battle of Näfels holding midnight mass.

“Before this evil news reached the city,
that our brave heart had fallen in loyalty,
the great bell in Rapperswil rang sixty-two times.”
– JH. Fornaro

Along the northern shores of Lake Zurich, the medieval town of Rapperswil-Jona is known for its charming alleys in the old town, historic castle, and rose gardens which is why it’s known as Rosenstadt, or the City of Roses. 

Read More: Check out all ghost stories from Switzerland

But beneath this picturesque veneer lies a chilling legend, one that speaks of loyalty beyond death and spectral gatherings in the dead of night. The tale of the headless ghost soldiers of Rapperswil has unnerved locals for centuries and remains one of Switzerland’s most eerie supernatural legends.

A Bell That Rings for the Dead

Stadtpfarrkirche St. Johann (Saint John’s parish church) is a Roman Catholic parish church in the city of Rapperswil, right next to Rapperswil Castle on Herrenberg hill in the old town. Rapperswil Castle, the town walls of the former locus Endingen and the parish church were built by Count Rudolf II and his son Rudolf III of Rapperswil around 1220/29.

It is also on this hill on the southern walls that the first roses in Rapperswil blooms because their medieval sandstone walls are exposed to the sun all through the year. It is also where the old and dark ghost legends hang around the ancient halls.

The legend begins on a cold, silent night at the start of the 20th century, when the church bell at St. John’s Church began to toll by itself. This story was told by the Rapperswil politician and publicist Theodor Curti, who died in 1914, although it’s not certain exactly when this was supposed to have happened.

The mournful clang shattered the stillness of the sleeping town. According to the story, the churchwarden — believing someone had broken into the sacred place — made his way to the tower, expecting to find a prankster or a thief. Instead, he found the bell swaying on its own, untouched by human hands.

What he witnessed next would haunt the town’s memory for generations.

The Headless Procession

As the churchwarden descended into the nave, the flicker of ghostly figures appeared around the ancient altar. Dozens of soldiers, clad in bloodstained medieval armor, stood in silent formation. Their most horrifying feature: every one of them was headless. Despite this gruesome deformity, the soldiers appeared solemn and composed, as though celebrating mass in front of the altar.

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The churchwarden watched in petrified awe as the ghostly warriors held a midnight mass for their fallen brethren. No words were spoken, no sound but the bell’s final echoes remained. When the ceremony ended, the soldiers faded back into the shadows, leaving behind an eerie chill in the air.

The Battle of Näfels and the Origins of the Legend

Local lore links these restless spirits to the Battle of Näfels, fought in 1388 between the Old Swiss Confederacy and the Habsburg forces that led to the independence from Habsburg rule. Rapperswil was then under Habsburg rule. It was a brutal clash in which 62 men from Rapperswil perished. It was said that the other soldiers all fled, only the brave Rosenstadters remained steadfast. When their bodies were found, they were all lying together, slain in a small orchard.

In his notes, Curti suggests that this is a variant of the legend that originated in the Battle of Näfels in 1388 that the death bell rang as well, exactly 62 times for the fallen ones. Although there really was 62 locals dead in the battle, there has been no historical proof that the bells actually rang back then but the legends.

Many believe the headless soldiers are the souls of these men, returning on certain nights to mourn their fate and honor those who died alongside them.

The Battle of Näfels: The battle was the last of the Swiss-Austrian conflicts that stretched through most of the 14th century. The Swiss had 54 men killed, who were buried at the parish church of Mollis. Habsburg losses are less well known, but are estimated to be between several hundred and 1,700 killed. In 1339, the first Näfelser Fahrt, a pilgrimage to the site of the battle, was held. This pilgrimage, which still occurs, happens on the first Thursday in April and is in memory of the battle.

Over the centuries, reports of the ghostly procession have persisted. Townsfolk whisper that the spirits are most likely to appear during violent storms, misty autumn nights, or on the anniversary of the battle. The legend has become so entwined with the town’s history that a path leading to the old battlefield is still marked by aged stones, and some locals claim to hear phantom footsteps or distant, mournful bells when passing by after dusk.

Symbol or Specter?

While skeptics dismiss the tale as folklore — a metaphor for the horrors of war and the sacrifices of the past — others remain convinced that something lingers within Rapperswil’s ancient walls. The church where the soldiers supposedly gather has undergone restorations, yet strange incidents occasionally occur: inexplicable drafts, flickering candle flames, and, once in recorded memory, the death bell tolling on a windless night.

Whether a symbolic remembrance or a true haunting, the story of the Ghost Soldiers of Rapperswil continues to captivate, reminding visitors and locals alike that the past is never truly buried — and that sometimes, the dead march on in silence, seeking the honor denied to them in life.

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References:

Hier spukt es: Unheimliche Orte in der Schweiz | WEB.DE

Stadtpfarrkirche Rapperswil – Wikipedia

Battle of Näfels – Wikipedia

Die kopflosen Geistersoldaten und ihr Spuk in Rapperswil | Südostschweiz

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The Bell-Ringer At St. Mark’s Square

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At the famous Bell Tower at St. Mark’s Square in Venice, the ghost of a former Bell-Ringer is haunting the place, trying to sound the bells one more time. 

Walking the narrow streets and alleys of Venice, there are tales of a skeleton still walking among us, rattling his bones and asking for alms. This is said to be along Bressana Court at SS. Giovanni and Paolo. 

It is said it is the skeleton of one of the last The Bell-Ringer at St Mark, or Campanile di San Marco, one of the more popular tourist spots in Venice. The Bell-Ringer was said to be a very tall man, ringing the bell of the St. Mark’s Campanile, a huge bell-tower on St. Mark’s square. The bell tower is one of the standing symbols of the republic and the highest point in the city.

Read More: Check out every ghost story from Italy

From here, Galileo Galilei sat in 1609 and demonstrated his telescope and from here Goethe saw the sea for the first time in 1786. Although the tower has been destroyed many times, the Venetians have always rebuilt it just as it was. 

When the almost 100 meter high tower was changed into a bell tower in the 1100s, it wasn’t just to ring bells. It worked as a watch tower and lighthouse before being turned into just the belltower. This was where The Bell-Ringer was working, ringing the five bells every day at the right time.  

The Bell-Ringer was not a content man though and according to the legend, he was easily led. He allegedly sold his bones out of greed to a scientist. The Bell-Ringer agreed to it and accepted the advanced payment, and started to go out every night drinking himself to an early death.  

After his death, it is believed that The Bell-Ringer regretted taking the offer of giving his skeleton away to a scientist. Because of this he was condemned to wander at night in his skeleton form until he had enough money to buy himself free from the curse he brought on himself. 

To this day you can see the actual skeleton of the bell-ringer in the Venice’s Natural History Museum. According to the legend however, the skeleton leaves the museum at night, trying to do his job, ringing the twelve bells of the St. Mark’s Campanile. 

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References

Haunted Venice – Legends, Mysteries and Stories

Venice Legends and Ghosts

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The Bell Tower Goddess of Beijing

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The sound of the bell echoes in the city like a faint reminder of once it dictated time itself in China. And according to legend, one bell also carries the voices of the dead with the The Bell Tower Goddess of Beijing. 

Once, the great city of Beijing all followed the beat from the drums in the drum tower and the chiming of the bell in the bell tower. It told the time for centuries, telling people when it was the right time to work, to eat, to sleep, and also, it told when it was too late. It was the thing that announced when the gates of the city were to open and close, and the sound of the bell could be heard every fifteen minutes, chiming across the city.

Read More: Check out all our collection of ghost stories from China

For centuries it towered as the tallest building to be seen by everyone as a landmark of the skyline. To this day and age, even between the massive skyscrapers in the modern city landscape, it still stands the test of time, although no longer the one that tells it. 

The Bronze Bell

During the Ming dynasty around 1420, the new bell tower was erected in the northern end of the inner city. The Bell Tower first came into use during the reign of the Ming Emperor Yongle. The bell kept getting bigger and bigger. Originally it was a huge cast iron bell, but was replaced by a larger bronze bell that chimed even loader. The sound and size of the bell was important, and that is the foundation of the tragic story they still tell tourists visiting the place to have a look. 

The Bell Tower: The building that once dominated the Imperial city’s skyline.// source

According to legend it was a man named Deng, an official with the mission to create this new bronze bell. They tried so hard for over a year to get the perfect bell that sounded as clear and loud as they needed for the emperor. But no matter how much they tried, they never managed to get it perfect and the deadline for the new bell was closing in.

With the date coming up they grew more and more desperate. The whole family felt it, especially Deng’s daughter as she was afraid it would bring shame on her family, her father in particular. But no matter what they tried to do, the fire of the furnace the bell was made in, would not get hot enough. 

In a desperate last attempt, the daughter flung herself into the fire, sacrificing herself to get the heat needed to make the bell. The father tried to stop her and reached out to save her. The only thing he managed to get a hold of, was one of her embroidered slippers, the only thing left of her after being consumed in the furnace. 

The Bell Tower Goddess of the Golden Furnace

Apparently, however gruesome, this was what the project needed and the bell was ready in time and the sound as clear as ordered. The bronze bell is over 10 inches thick, seven metres tall and weighs almost 46 ton. All around the bell, it has over 230 000 words of Buddhist mantras inscribed to it. And to this day as perfect as it was when first formed. 

The Bronze Bell: Still as clear today as when it was first made.// Source

The emperor himself is said to be so moved by the daughter’s action that he gave her the title ‘Goddess of the Golden Furnace’. A temple was erected in her honor near the foundry where she had sacrificed herself. 

Read More: For more ghost stories from Bell Towers, check out The Bell-Ringer At St. Mark’s Square and The Haunted Town and Tragedy of Belchite

But the temple for her is now gone, and the goddess is mostly forgotten in the glory of the bronze bell. But listen carefully. To this day, the bell can still be heard on special occasions. The sound of the bronze bell can be heard at a great distance, at least some twenty kilometers away.

On particularly stormy nights the bell doesn’t chime as clear as it usually does, but emits a sound, sounding distinctly as the words ‘xie’, meaning shoes in Chinese. The haunted spirit of the girl who sacrificed herself still echoes through the bell. And the mothers that lived were the bell was heard would tuck their children in, telling them ‘Go to sleep, the Bell Tower is ringing, the Goddess wants her slipper back’.

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References

Bell And Drum Towers, Beijing Attractions, What To See In Beijing 

The Drum Tower and the Bell Tower The Goddess Who Cast The Bell