🔗 Share this article

Families whose relatives buried in resting places vulnerable to coastal erosion state that a lack of decision over how to tackle the problem is causing them avoidable anguish about the final resting places of their departed family.

An Impending Danger to Historic Churchyards

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

A recent report on the issue sets out a range of possible actions, from doing nothing to exhuming remains and relocating them in safer locations. Authorities say it is for the community to determine how to move forward.

“At the moment we’re in limbo. It causes me distress. My parents intended this to serve as their last home, but it won't be because of the sea.”

Estimates indicate at least part of one graveyard could fall into the sea in the next 80 years, but some residents fear it will happen much sooner. “In my view it’s got less than 20 years, if you consider what’s occurred in the last 30 years,” one said.

Haunted by the Ghosts of Eccles

A local business owner remembered a school trip to the nearby village of Eccles, which has almost entirely vanished into the sea, including its place of worship and burial ground.

“It was possible to see human remains,” she said. “Some have this idealized notion that people’s remains will just get carried away to the ocean. That is not the case. People will take bones as souvenirs and go grave robbing in search of valuables. It’s completely disrespectful.”

“I’m worried that the identical fate that befell at Eccles will occur here and there’ll be bones on the shore. I would feel appalled by that.”

A Soldier's Grave in Jeopardy

Further up the shoreline lies the grave of a former paratrooper killed while serving overseas. His parent expressed she lost sleep after discovering her son’s final plot might one day be relocated.

“It truly disturb me to think this may not remain his permanent resting place,” she said. “For us it’s an significant place to go.”

She believes, new burials should cease but says it is premature to disturb existing graves. “What I would choose for now is to take no action and closely monitor, but an timely resolution must be made when a critical moment has been reached.”

Searching for Solutions and Clarity

An absence of consensus over when and how to tackle the problem has left grieving relatives feeling frustrated and worried.

Several families want more sea defences to slow the inevitable erosion and to permit burials to proceed for now. Different voices argue the moment for moving graves is drawing near.

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

A coastal manager confirmed the burial sites were owned and managed of the local diocese. “Ultimately it is down to them to decide the direction to take. We are here to assist them through that journey with communities.”

It was also stated there was time to weigh all the options. “This concerns many years before it begins getting lost.”

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

The prospect of losing the historic sites was labeled one of “immense sorrow for the local community,” but faith leaders also spoke of a belief in resurrection, providing a spiritual perspective on the physical loss of hallowed earth.