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Families of people laid to rest in graves vulnerable to coastal erosion argue that indecision over how to address the problem is causing them unnecessary distress about the eternal homes of their loved ones.

An Impending Danger to Historic Graveyards

The council have identified three church graveyards in the communities of Happisburgh, Mundesley, and Trimingham as being in danger of being swallowed by the ocean in the next few generations.

A newly published study on the issue sets out a series of options, from taking no action to exhuming remains and reburying them in safer sites. Authorities maintain it is for the community to determine how to proceed.

“At the moment we’re in a state of uncertainty. It causes me distress. My parents wanted this to be their last home, but it won't be because of the sea.”

Estimates indicate at least part of one churchyard 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 under 20 years, if you look at what’s happened in the last 30 years,” a farmer stated.

Troubled by the Ghosts of Eccles

A local business owner remembered a childhood visit to the neighbouring village of Eccles, which has almost entirely disappeared into the water, including its place of worship and burial ground.

“You could see people’s bones,” she said. “Certain people hold this romantic idea that the deceased will just get washed out to sea. They won’t. People will take bones as mementos and go grave robbing in search of valuables. It’s completely disrespectful.”

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

A Paratrooper's Grave in Peril

Along the coast lies the grave of a former paratrooper killed while serving overseas. His mother said she lost sleep after discovering her son’s grave might one day be moved.

“It does 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 stop but says it is too soon to exhume existing graves. “My preference for now is to do nothing and closely monitor, but an timely resolution needs to be made when a critical moment has been attained.”

Seeking Answers and Clarity

The lack of consensus over the timing and method to tackle the problem has left grieving relatives feeling frustrated and worried.

Some are calling for additional sea defences to slow the unavoidable loss and to permit burials to continue for now. Others contend the time for relocation is drawing near.

“It is very emotional,” a family member stated. “The official study was thorough, but now there’s confusion about how it is taken forward. And everybody is avoiding responsibility over who is accountable.”

A local official said the burial sites were owned and managed of the local diocese. “In the end it is up to them to decide the path to take. Our role is 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 starts to be lost.”

“There is no common view on what should be done yet. It requires good community discussions to find the appropriate answers for each community.”

The possibility of losing the historic sites was described as one of “immense sorrow for the local community,” but faith leaders also spoke of a doctrine in resurrection, offering a theological viewpoint on the temporal loss of sacred ground.