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Families whose relatives buried in resting places vulnerable to coastal erosion state that indecision on how best to address the problem is creating unnecessary distress concerning the eternal homes of their loved ones.

A Looming Threat to Ancient Graveyards

Local authorities have identified three burial grounds in the communities of Happisburgh, Mundesley, and Trimingham as being at risk of being engulfed by the sea in the next few generations.

A newly published study on the issue sets out a series of possible actions, from doing nothing to exhuming remains and reburying them in safer sites. Authorities say it is for the community to determine how to proceed.

“Right now we’re in limbo. It causes me distress. My parents intended this to serve as their final resting place, but it isn’t going to be because of the sea.”

Projections suggest at least a portion of one graveyard could fall into the waves in the next 80 years, but some residents fear 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

A local business owner recalled a childhood visit to the neighbouring settlement of Eccles, which has almost entirely disappeared into the sea, including its church and graveyard.

“It was possible to see people’s bones,” she said. “Certain people hold this romantic idea that people’s remains will just get carried away to sea. They won’t. Individuals will take bones as mementos and go plundering graves in search of treasures. It’s completely undignified.”

“I fear that the same thing that happened at Eccles will happen at Happisburgh and there’ll be skeletons on the shore. I would feel disgusted by that.”

A Soldier's Grave in Jeopardy

Along the shoreline lies the grave of a former paratrooper who died while serving abroad. His mother expressed she lost sleep after discovering her child's final plot might one day be relocated.

“It does disturb me to consider this won’t be his lasting resting place,” she said. “For us it’s an important site to visit.”

In her view, new burials should cease but says it is premature to exhume existing graves. “My preference for now is to do nothing and watch carefully, but an early decision must be made when a critical moment has been attained.”

Searching for Solutions and Certainty

The lack of agreement over when and how to handle the problem has left bereaved families feeling frustrated and anxious.

Several families are calling for additional sea defences to delay the inevitable erosion and to permit burials to continue for now. Others contend the time for relocation is approaching.

“The situation is very emotive,” a family member stated. “The official study was thorough, but now there’s uncertainty about how it is implemented. And everybody is washing their hands over who is accountable.”

A coastal manager confirmed the burial sites were under the care of the local diocese. “In the end it is down to them to choose the direction to take. We are here to assist them through that process with communities.”

It was also stated there was ample 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. We need good community discussions to find the appropriate solutions for each village.”

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