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Families whose relatives laid to rest in resting places at risk from coastal erosion say that a lack of decision over how to tackle the problem is causing them unnecessary distress concerning the eternal homes of their departed family.

An Impending Threat to Historic Churchyards

Local authorities have singled out three church graveyards in the communities of Happisburgh, Trimingham, and Mundesley as being in danger of being engulfed by the ocean in the next few generations.

A newly published study on the situation details a range of possible actions, from taking no action to exhuming remains and relocating them in more secure sites. Authorities maintain it is for local people to decide how to proceed.

“Right now we’re in a state of uncertainty. It upsets me. They wanted this to serve as their final resting place, but it isn’t going to be because of the sea.”

Estimates indicate at least a portion of one graveyard could be claimed by the waves in the next 80 years, but some locals worry it will happen far earlier. “I think it’s got less than 20 years, if you consider what’s occurred in the last 30 years,” a farmer stated.

Troubled by the Ghosts of Eccles

One resident recalled a school trip to the neighbouring village of Eccles, which has largely disappeared into the water, along with its church and graveyard.

“You could see human remains,” she said. “Certain people hold this idealized notion that the deceased will just get carried away to the ocean. They won’t. People will collect remains as souvenirs and go grave robbing in search of valuables. That is completely disrespectful.”

“I fear that the same thing that befell at Eccles will occur here and there’ll be skeletons on the shore. I’d be disgusted by that.”

A Paratrooper's Resting Place in Peril

Further up the shoreline lies the burial plot of a former paratrooper killed while working overseas. His parent said she could not sleep after discovering her child's final plot might one day be relocated.

“It truly trouble me to think this may not remain his lasting resting place,” she said. “To our family it’s an important place to go.”

She believes, new interments should stop but says it is premature to exhume existing graves. “What I would choose for now is to do nothing and closely monitor, but an timely resolution must be made when a tipping point has been reached.”

Seeking Answers and Certainty

The lack of consensus over when and how to tackle the problem has resulted in grieving relatives feeling frustrated and worried.

Some want additional sea defences to slow the inevitable erosion and to allow burials to proceed for now. Different voices argue the time for moving graves is drawing near.

“It is very emotive,” a family member stated. “The official study was really good, but now there’s confusion about how it is implemented. And everybody is avoiding responsibility over who is responsible.”

A coastal manager said the burial sites were under the care of the church authorities. “In the end it is down to them to choose the direction to take. We are here to help support them through that process with residents.”

It was also stated there was time to consider all the options. “This concerns decades before it starts to be lost.”

“There is no common view on what should be done yet. It requires good community discussions to find the appropriate answers for each village.”

The prospect of losing the historic sites was described as one of “profound sadness for the area,” but church representatives also referenced a doctrine in life after death, providing a spiritual perspective on the physical loss of sacred ground.