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Families of people buried in resting places vulnerable to coastal erosion argue that a lack of decision on how best to tackle the problem is causing them unnecessary distress concerning the eternal homes of their loved ones.

An Impending Threat to Historic Graveyards

The council have identified three burial grounds in the communities of Happisburgh, Mundesley, and Trimingham as being in danger of being consumed by the ocean in the coming decades.

A recent report on the issue details a range of options, from doing nothing to exhuming remains and reburying them in safer locations. Authorities maintain it is for local people to decide how to move forward.

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

Estimates indicate at least part of one graveyard could be claimed by the waves in the next 80 years, but some residents fear it will happen far earlier. “In my view it’s got less than 20 years, if you consider what’s happened in the last 30 years,” one said.

Troubled by the Past

One resident recalled a childhood visit to the nearby settlement of Eccles, which has largely vanished into the sea, along with its place of worship and burial ground.

“You could see people’s bones,” she said. “Some have this idealized notion that the deceased will just get washed out to sea. They won’t. People will collect remains as souvenirs and go grave robbing looking for valuables. That is completely undignified.”

“I’m worried that the same thing that happened at Eccles will occur here and there’ll be skeletons on the beach. I’d be disgusted by that.”

A Paratrooper's Resting Place in Jeopardy

Further up the shoreline lies the burial plot of a ex-soldier who died while working abroad. His mother expressed she lost sleep after discovering her child's final plot might one day be moved.

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

In her view, new interments should cease but says it is too soon to exhume existing graves. “My preference for now is to do nothing and closely monitor, but an early decision must be made when a critical moment has been reached.”

Seeking Answers and Clarity

An absence of consensus over when and how to handle the challenge has resulted in grieving relatives feeling exasperated and anxious.

Several families want more coastal protections to slow the inevitable erosion and to permit burials to continue for now. Different voices contend the time for relocation is drawing near.

“The situation is very emotive,” said one relative. “The official study was thorough, but now there’s confusion about how it is implemented. And all parties is washing their hands over who is responsible.”

A local official confirmed the burial sites were owned and managed of the church authorities. “Ultimately it is down to them to choose the path to take. We are here to assist them through that journey with residents.”

It was also stated there was time to weigh all the choices. “We are talking decades before it starts to be lost.”

“Currently, there exists no common view on what should happen yet. We need good community discussions to discover the right answers for each village.”

The possibility of the loss of the churches and graveyards was labeled one of “profound sadness for the area,” but faith leaders also referenced a doctrine in resurrection, offering a theological perspective on the temporal disappearance of hallowed earth.