🔗 Share this article

Loved ones of people buried in graves vulnerable to shoreline retreat argue that indecision on how best to tackle the problem is creating unnecessary distress concerning the final resting places of their departed family.

A Looming Threat to Ancient Churchyards

Local authorities have singled out three burial grounds in the communities of Happisburgh, Mundesley, and Trimingham as being in danger of being engulfed by the ocean in the coming decades.

A newly published study on the situation sets out a series of options, from taking no action to disinterring bodies and reburying them in more secure locations. Officials say it is for the community to determine how to move forward.

“At the moment we’re in a state of uncertainty. It causes me distress. My parents wanted this to be their final resting place, but it won't be because of the sea.”

Projections indicate at least a portion of one graveyard could fall into the waves in the next 80 years, but some locals fear it will happen much sooner. “In my view it’s got less than 20 years, if you consider what’s happened in the last 30 years,” a farmer stated.

Haunted by the Ghosts of Eccles

A local business owner recalled a childhood visit to the nearby settlement of Eccles, which has largely disappeared into the sea, along with its place of worship and burial ground.

“It was possible to see human remains,” she said. “Some have this romantic idea that the deceased will just get washed out to the ocean. They won’t. Individuals will collect remains as souvenirs and go plundering graves in search of treasures. It’s completely undignified.”

“I fear that the identical fate that befell at Eccles will occur here and there’ll be skeletons on the beach. I’d be disgusted by that.”

A Paratrooper's Grave in Peril

Further up the shoreline lies the grave of a former paratrooper who died while serving abroad. His mother said she could not sleep after learning her child's grave might one day be moved.

“It truly disturb me to consider 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 exhume current plots. “My preference for now is to take no action and closely monitor, but an early decision needs to be made when a critical moment has been reached.”

Seeking Solutions and Clarity

The lack of consensus over the timing and method to tackle the problem has resulted in grieving relatives feeling exasperated and anxious.

Some want additional coastal protections to delay the inevitable erosion and to allow funerals to continue for now. Others argue the time for moving graves is approaching.

“It is very emotive,” said one relative. “The official study was really good, but now there’s confusion about how it is implemented. And all parties is avoiding responsibility over who is accountable.”

A coastal manager said the graveyards were under the care of the church authorities. “In the end it is up to them to choose the path to take. Our role is here to assist them through that process with communities.”

He added there was time to consider all the choices. “This concerns decades before it starts to be lost.”

“There is no unified opinion on what should be done yet. It requires good local conversations to find the appropriate answers for each community.”

The possibility of the loss of the historic sites was described as one of “profound sadness for the local community,” but faith leaders also spoke of a belief in resurrection, providing a spiritual viewpoint on the physical disappearance of hallowed earth.