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Loved ones whose relatives buried in graves vulnerable to coastal erosion state that indecision on how best to address the problem is causing them unnecessary distress about the final resting places of their departed family.

A Looming Threat to Historic Churchyards

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

A recent report on the issue sets out a range of possible actions, from taking no action to disinterring bodies 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 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 sea.”

Estimates indicate at least a portion of one graveyard could be claimed by the sea in the next 80 years, but some residents fear it will happen much sooner. “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

One resident recalled a childhood visit to the neighbouring village of Eccles, which has almost entirely vanished into the water, along with its church and graveyard.

“You could see human remains,” she said. “Certain people hold this romantic idea that the deceased will just get washed out to the ocean. They won’t. People will collect remains as souvenirs and go grave robbing looking for treasures. It’s completely undignified.”

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

A Soldier's Resting Place in Peril

Further up the shoreline is situated the burial plot of a former paratrooper who died while working overseas. His parent said she could not sleep after learning her son’s final plot might one day be relocated.

“It truly disturb me to think this may not remain his lasting home,” she said. “To our family it’s an important place to go.”

She believes, new interments should cease but says it is premature to disturb existing graves. “My preference for now is to take no action and closely monitor, but an early decision must be made when a tipping point has been reached.”

Seeking Solutions and Certainty

The lack of agreement over the timing and method to handle the problem has left bereaved families feeling exasperated and anxious.

Several families want more coastal protections to delay the unavoidable loss and to permit burials to continue for now. Different voices argue the moment for moving graves is approaching.

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

A local official said the burial sites were owned and managed of the church authorities. “Ultimately it is up to them to choose the path to take. Our role is here to help support them through that journey with residents.”

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

“There is no common view on what should be done yet. We need good local conversations to discover the appropriate answers for each village.”

The possibility of losing the historic sites was described as one of “profound sorrow for the area,” but faith leaders also referenced a doctrine in resurrection, providing a theological viewpoint on the temporal loss of hallowed earth.