Ballytrustan Church ruin, off Ballyfounder Road, Ballytrustan, Portaferry, Co Down

The ruins of a mediaeval church, likely built in the mid-13th century, stand within a surrounding graveyard near Ballytrustan, approximately one mile southeast of Portaferry. The church is situated to the north of the Ballyfounder Road. The church is now a completely overgrown ruin of a small, rectangular gabled structure (around 18 meters by 7 meters). Due to extensive vegetation, the height of the walls is difficult to determine, but an archaeological survey from 1966 describes the church as being constructed of rough split stone rubble and boulders with rough-dressed quoins and featuring windows with splayed ingoings, sloping cills and rebuilt jambs. The graveyard contains a variety of headstones, primarily Roman Catholic, dating from at least 1720, with many older inscriptions now illegible. Use of the graveyard ceased largely by the middle of the 19th century. Both the church and graveyard are enclosed by a low rubble wall. The church was originally associated with the Knights Hospitallers of St. John, and is mentioned in Papal taxation records of 1294 as the church of 'Thurstaynistone'. It appears to have been abandoned in the 17th century, but the graveyard remained in use until the mid-1800s. The church is now recorded as derelict and considered a monument.