A negative resist composition, which shows excellent sensitivity and resolution in pattern formation by exposure to electron beams or EUV, a novel crosslinking agent suitable for the resist composition, and a pattern forming method using the resist composition are presented. The negative resist composition comprises: (A) a polyphenol compound comprising two or more phenolic hydroxyl groups in a molecule thereof and having a molecular weight of 300 to 3,000, (B) an acid generator which directly or indirectly produces acid by exposure to active energy rays having a wavelength of 248 nm or less, and (C) a crosslinking agent represented by the chemical formula (1).