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Families whose relatives laid to rest in resting places at risk from coastal erosion state that a lack of decision on how best to address the issue is causing them unnecessary distress concerning the eternal homes of their departed family.

An Impending Threat to Historic Graveyards

Local authorities have singled out three burial grounds in the villages of Happisburgh, Trimingham, and Mundesley as being in danger of being swallowed by the ocean in the next few generations.

A newly published study on the issue sets out a series of options, from taking no action to exhuming remains and reburying them in more secure locations. Officials maintain it is for the community to decide how to move forward.

“At the moment we’re in a state of uncertainty. It upsets me. They wanted this to serve as their last home, but it won't be because of the sea.”

Estimates indicate at least a portion of one churchyard could be claimed by the sea in the next 80 years, but some residents fear it will happen far earlier. “In my view it’s got less than 20 years, if you consider what’s happened in the last 30 years,” one said.

Haunted by the Ghosts of Eccles

A local business owner remembered a childhood visit to the neighbouring settlement of Eccles, which has largely disappeared into the sea, along with its church and graveyard.

“You could see people’s bones,” she said. “Some have this romantic idea that people’s remains will just get washed out to the ocean. That is not the case. People will collect remains as souvenirs and go grave robbing in search of treasures. That is completely disrespectful.”

“I’m worried that the same thing that happened at Eccles will occur at Happisburgh and there’ll be bones on the shore. I’d be disgusted by that.”

A Paratrooper's Grave in Peril

Further up the shoreline is situated the grave of a ex-soldier who died while working overseas. His mother expressed she lost sleep after discovering her son’s final plot might one day be moved.

“It does trouble me to think this won’t be his permanent home,” she said. “For us it’s an important site to visit.”

She believes, new burials should stop but says it is too soon to disturb current plots. “What I would choose for now is to do nothing and watch carefully, but an timely resolution needs to be made when a critical moment has been reached.”

Seeking Answers and Certainty

An absence of consensus over when and how to tackle the challenge has resulted in grieving relatives feeling exasperated and anxious.

Several families are calling for more sea defences to delay the unavoidable loss and to allow funerals to proceed for now. Others argue the moment for moving graves is approaching.

“The situation is very emotive,” said one relative. “The council’s report was thorough, but now there’s uncertainty about how it is taken forward. And everybody is washing their hands over who is accountable.”

A local official said the burial sites were under the care of the local diocese. “Ultimately it is down to them to decide the path to take. Our role is here to help support them through that journey with communities.”

It was also stated there was ample time to weigh all the choices. “This concerns many years before it starts to be lost.”

“Currently, there exists no unified opinion on what should be done yet. It requires productive community discussions to find the right solutions for each village.”

The prospect of the loss of the churches and graveyards was described as one of “profound sadness for the local community,” but church representatives also spoke of a belief in resurrection, providing a theological perspective on the temporal loss of sacred ground.