The Rubrics

Last updated

The Rubrics
The Rubrics of Trinity College Dublin
Dublin - Trinity College building.JPG
View upon passing the Campanile.
The Rubrics
General information
TypeStudent Residences
LocationLibrary Square
Trinity College
Dublin 2
Ireland
Coordinates 53°20′40″N6°15′26″W / 53.34439961°N 6.25731468°W / 53.34439961; -6.25731468
Completed c.1700
Renovated1894
Design and construction
Architect(s) Thomas Burgh
Renovating team
Architect(s)Robert John Stirling

The Rubrics is the oldest building within Trinity College Dublin. Although the exact date is unknown, it was designed and built in c.1700. [1] Today, the Rubrics are used as rooms for students and fellows.

Contents

Construction and design

Originally part of a quadrangle of similar buildings, it is the only remaining building of the college's original Library Square. Those since demolished include Rotten Row, which was replaced by the Graduates Memorial Building, and another residential block which stood at the west end of the square, where the Campanile stands today. To the south is the Old Library of the college, having been begun in 1712. [1] Constructed almost entirely from brick, with tall hexagonal chimneys, the buildings were designed as residences for the students of Trinity College.[ citation needed ]

In 1840, three bays were removed from either end of the building. Later renovation was made in 1894, by Robert John Stirling, who added an additional storey and a new brick facade and curvilinear Dutch gables. [1]

Murder of Edward Ford (1734)

The Rubrics is heavily associated with the infamous shooting and death of Edward Ford, then Fellow of the College, and son of the Archdeacon of Derry at number 25 of the building on 7 March 1734. [2] [3] He was strongly disliked by the undergraduate body, as he had a tendency to interfere with student matters.

On that particular evening, a boisterous group of students entered Front Gate, beating the porter stationed there, for which they earned a strong scolding from Ford. [4] Subsequently, they went to their rooms to plot, after which they made their way to the college's New Square (known then as the Playground) after midnight to break Ford's windows. However Ford responded with a pistol and shot at the group, injuring one, and then ordered two undergraduates to summon a porter.

The students outside dispersed, returned to their rooms, acquired arms of their own, and returned to the Rubrics. A Scholar had urged Ford to remain in bed, but he refused to listen, and he went to the window in his night dress to admonish the students further. The crowd fired, and Ford received shots to the head and body. He was then moved downstairs, and a surgeon was summoned. After two hours of agony, he died and in his last words, asked that the students be forgiven.

I do not know, but God forgive them, I do.

Edward Ford, apparent final words (when asked who'd shot him) [3]

Four students were accused:

All of whom had been drinking heavily within another part of the building (closer to the Library), where powder and a recently fired gun were found. However the trial was unable to properly determine what had transpired due to contradictory stories, evidence, and also because the Front Gate porter had been drinking, therefore unable to identify anyone. Ultimately this led to an acquittal by the court, but not by the Board, and all four were expelled. [3]

A College tradition holds (with reported sightings) that Ford's ghost wanderings the Rubrics, that "his ghost, dressed in wig, gown and knee breeches, is said to walk by the side of the Rubrics at dusk." [2]

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Trinity College, Cambridge</span> Constituent college of the University of Cambridge in England

Trinity College is a constituent college of the University of Cambridge. Founded in 1546 by King Henry VIII, Trinity is one of the largest Cambridge colleges, with the largest financial endowment of any college at either Cambridge or Oxford. Trinity has some of the most distinctive architecture in Cambridge with its Great Court said to be the largest enclosed courtyard in Europe. Academically, Trinity performs exceptionally as measured by the Tompkins Table, coming top from 2011 to 2017. Trinity was the top-performing college for the 2020–21 undergraduate exams, obtaining the highest percentage of good honours.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">St John's College, Cambridge</span> College of the University of Cambridge

St John's College is a constituent college of the University of Cambridge founded by the Tudor matriarch Lady Margaret Beaufort. In constitutional terms, the college is a charitable corporation established by a charter dated 9 April 1511. The full, formal name of the college is the College of St John the Evangelist in the University of Cambridge. The aims of the college, as specified by its statutes, are the promotion of education, religion, learning and research. It is one of the larger Oxbridge colleges in terms of student numbers. For 2022, St John's was ranked 6th of 29 colleges in the Tompkins Table with over 35 per cent of its students earning first-class honours. It is the second wealthiest college in Oxford and Cambridge, after neighbouring Trinity, at Cambridge.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Lady Margaret Hall, Oxford</span> College of the University of Oxford

Lady Margaret Hall (LMH) is one of the constituent colleges of the University of Oxford in England, located on the banks of the River Cherwell at Norham Gardens in north Oxford and adjacent to the University Parks. The college is more formally known under its current royal charter as "The Principal and Fellows of the College of the Lady Margaret in the University of Oxford".

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Lincoln College, Oxford</span> College of the University of Oxford

Lincoln College is one of the constituent colleges of the University of Oxford, situated on Turl Street in central Oxford. Lincoln was founded in 1427 by Richard Fleming, the then Bishop of Lincoln.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Trinity College Dublin</span> Sole college of the University of Dublin

<span class="mw-page-title-main">University of Dublin</span> University in Dublin, Ireland, founded 1592

The University of Dublin, corporately designated the Chancellor, Doctors and Masters of the University of Dublin, is a university located in Dublin, Ireland. It is the degree-awarding body for Trinity College Dublin. It was founded in 1592 when Queen Elizabeth I issued a charter for Trinity College as "the mother of a university", thereby making it Ireland's oldest operating university. It was modelled after the collegiate universities of Oxford and of Cambridge, but unlike these other ancient universities, only one college was established; as such, the designations "Trinity College" and "University of Dublin" are usually synonymous for practical purposes.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Selwyn College, Cambridge</span> College of the University of Cambridge

Selwyn College, Cambridge is a constituent college of the University of Cambridge. The college was founded in 1882 by the Selwyn Memorial Committee in memory of George Augustus Selwyn (1809–1878), the first Bishop of New Zealand (1841–1868), and subsequently Bishop of Lichfield (1868–1878). Its main buildings consist of three courts built of stone and brick. There are several secondary buildings, including adjacent townhouses and lodges serving as student hostels on Grange Road, West Road and Sidgwick Avenue. The college has some 60 fellows and 110 non-academic staff.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Corpus Christi College, Cambridge</span> College of the University of Cambridge, founded 1352

Corpus Christi College is a constituent college of the University of Cambridge. From the late 14th century to the early 19th century it was also commonly known as St Benet's College.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Queens' College, Cambridge</span> College of University of Cambridge

Queens' College is a constituent college of the University of Cambridge. Queens' is one of the older colleges of the university, founded in 1448 by Margaret of Anjou. Its buildings span the River Cam with the Mathematical Bridge and Silver Street connecting the two sides.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">St Catharine's College, Cambridge</span> College of the University of Cambridge

St Catharine's College is a constituent college of the University of Cambridge. Founded in 1473 as Katharine Hall, it adopted its current name in 1860. The college is nicknamed "Catz". The college is located in the historic city-centre of Cambridge, and lies just south of King's College and across the street from Corpus Christi College. The college is notable for its open court that faces towards Trumpington Street.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">College Historical Society</span> Debating society at Trinity College Dublin

The College Historical Society (CHS) – popularly referred to as The Hist – is a debating society at Trinity College Dublin. It was established within the college in 1770 and was inspired by the club formed by the philosopher Edmund Burke during his own time in Trinity in 1747. This makes the Hist the oldest student society in the world.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Graduates Memorial Building</span> Debating chamber, student society rooms and residences in Dublin , Ireland

The Graduates Memorial Building (GMB) is a neo-Gothic Victorian building, in Trinity College Dublin designed by Sir Thomas Drew in 1897. It is home to Trinity College's oldest student societies: the University Philosophical Society, the College Historical Society and the College Theological Society.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">National College of Art and Design</span> Art institution in Dublin, Ireland

The National College of Art and Design (NCAD) is Ireland's oldest art institution, offering the largest range of art and design degrees at undergraduate and postgraduate level in the country. Originating as a drawing school in 1746, many of the most important Irish artists, designers and art educators have studied or taught in the college. NCAD has always been located in central Dublin, and in 1980 it relocated to the historic Liberties area. The College has around 950 full-time students and a further 600 pursuing part-time courses, and NCAD's students come from more than forty countries. NCAD is a Recognised College of University College Dublin. It is also a member of the European League of Institutes of the Arts.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Pearse Street</span> Street in central Dublin, Ireland

Pearse Street is a major street in Dublin. It runs from College Street in the west to MacMahon Bridge in the east, and is one of the city's longest streets. It has several different types of residential and commercial property along its length.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">School of Medicine (Trinity College Dublin)</span> Tertiary institution of Medical and Health Sciences in Dublin, Republic of Ireland

The School of Medicine at Trinity College in Dublin, Republic of Ireland, is the oldest medical school in Ireland. Founded in the early eighteenth century, it was originally situated at the site of the current Berkeley Library. As well as providing an undergraduate degree in medicine, the school provides undergraduate courses in physiotherapy, occupational therapy, radiation therapy, human nutrition & dietetics and human health & disease, over 20 taught postgraduate courses, and research degrees.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Royal Victoria Eye and Ear Hospital</span> Hospital in Dublin, Ireland

The Royal Victoria Eye and Ear Hospital is a public teaching hospital in Dublin, Ireland. The Royal Victoria Eye and Ear Hospital in Dublin was founded in 1895 and is the National Referral Centre for both Eye and Ear, Nose & Throat disorders.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Academic dress of the University of Dublin</span>

Academic dress prescribed at the Trinity College Dublin follows a relatively complex protocol which, nonetheless, shares some particular characteristics with other universities in Ireland and with the University of Oxford in the United Kingdom.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Gonville and Caius College, Cambridge</span> Constituent college of the University of Cambridge

Gonville and Caius College, often referred to simply as Caius, is a constituent college of the University of Cambridge in Cambridge, England. Founded in 1348 by Edmund Gonville, it is the fourth-oldest of the University of Cambridge's 31 colleges and one of the wealthiest. In 1557, it was refounded by alumnus John Caius. The college has been attended by many students who have gone on to significant accomplishment, including fifteen Nobel Prize winners, the second-highest of any Oxbridge college after Trinity College, Cambridge.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Campanile (Trinity College Dublin)</span> Bell tower in Dublin, Ireland

The Campanile of Trinity College Dublin is a bell tower and one of its most iconic landmarks. Donated by then Archbishop of Armagh, Lord John Beresford it was designed by Sir Charles Lanyon, sculpted by Thomas Kirk and finished in 1853.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">School of Engineering (Trinity College Dublin)</span>

The School of Engineering, Trinity College Dublin is the oldest engineering school in Ireland and one of the oldest in the world. It provides undergraduate, taught postgraduate and research degrees in engineering. It is the highest-ranked engineering school in Ireland by QS Rankings and by Times World University Rankings.

References

  1. 1 2 3 Christine, Christine (2006). Dublin: The City Within the Grand and Royal Canals and the Circular Road, with the Phoenix Park. London, England: Yale University Press. p. 400. ISBN   9780300109238.
  2. 1 2 Henry, Peter (3 November 2009). "The ghost of Edward Ford". Trinity News. Retrieved 10 June 2013.
  3. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 Henry, Peter (3 November 2009). "Old Trinity: Murder and sprees in rooms". Trinity News. Retrieved 10 June 2013.
  4. Engle, John (2013). Trinity Student Pranks: A History of Mischief & Mayhem. Dublin: The History Press Ireland. pp. 30–32. ISBN   9780752497983.