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Loved ones of people buried in resting places at risk from coastal erosion argue that a lack of decision over how to tackle the issue is causing them avoidable anguish about the final resting places of their departed family.

An Impending Threat to Historic Graveyards

Local authorities have singled out three burial grounds in the villages of Happisburgh, Mundesley, and Trimingham as being at risk of being swallowed by the sea in the coming decades.

A recent report on the issue sets out a range of options, from taking no action to exhuming remains and reburying them in more secure sites. Officials say it is for local people to determine how to proceed.

“At the moment we’re in limbo. It causes me distress. They intended this to serve as their final resting place, but it won't be because of the encroaching sea.”

Estimates indicate at least a portion of one graveyard could fall into the waves 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 look at what’s happened in the last 30 years,” a farmer stated.

Troubled by the Past

One resident recalled a childhood visit to the neighbouring settlement of Eccles, which has almost entirely disappeared into the sea, along with its place of worship and burial ground.

“You could see human remains,” she said. “Some have this idealized notion that people’s remains will just get carried away to sea. They won’t. People will collect remains as mementos and go plundering graves in search of valuables. That is completely disrespectful.”

“I’m worried that the identical fate that happened at Eccles will happen at Happisburgh and there’ll be bones on the beach. I’d be disgusted by that.”

A Paratrooper's Grave in Jeopardy

Along 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 moved.

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

In her view, new interments should stop but says it is too soon to disturb current plots. “My preference for now is to do nothing and closely monitor, but an early decision must be made when a tipping point has been attained.”

Searching for Solutions and Certainty

An absence of consensus over the timing and method to handle the problem has left bereaved families feeling frustrated and worried.

Some want more coastal protections to slow the unavoidable loss and to allow burials to continue for now. Different voices contend the time for moving graves is approaching.

“The situation is very emotional,” said one relative. “The council’s report was really good, but now there’s uncertainty about how it is taken forward. And everybody is avoiding responsibility over who is responsible.”

A coastal manager said the burial sites were owned and managed of the local diocese. “Ultimately it is up to them to choose the path to take. We are here to help support them through that process with residents.”

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

“There is no common view on what should happen yet. We need productive community discussions to find the appropriate solutions for each village.”

The possibility of losing the churches and graveyards was described as one of “immense sorrow for the area,” but church representatives also referenced a doctrine in resurrection, providing a theological perspective on the temporal loss of hallowed earth.