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Families of people laid to rest in resting places vulnerable to coastal erosion state that indecision on how best to address the issue is creating unnecessary distress about the final resting places of their departed family.

An Impending Threat to Historic Churchyards

Local authorities have identified three burial grounds in the communities of Happisburgh, Mundesley, and Trimingham as being at risk of being swallowed by the ocean in the next few generations.

A recent report on the issue sets out a series of possible actions, from taking no action to exhuming remains and reburying them in safer locations. Officials maintain it is for local people to determine how to proceed.

“Right now we’re in a state of uncertainty. It causes me distress. They wanted this to serve as their final resting place, but it won't be because of the sea.”

Estimates indicate at least part of one graveyard could fall into the waves in the next 80 years, but some locals fear it will happen much sooner. “In my view it’s got under 20 years, if you consider what’s occurred in the last 30 years,” a farmer stated.

Haunted by the Ghosts of Eccles

One resident remembered a childhood visit to the neighbouring settlement of Eccles, which has almost entirely disappeared into the sea, including its church and graveyard.

“It was possible to see people’s bones,” she said. “Some have this idealized notion that people’s remains will just get washed out to the ocean. They won’t. Individuals will take bones as souvenirs and go grave robbing in search of treasures. That is completely disrespectful.”

“I fear that the same thing that happened at Eccles will occur at Happisburgh and there’ll be skeletons on the shore. I would feel disgusted by that.”

A Paratrooper's Grave in Jeopardy

Further up the coast lies the burial plot of a former paratrooper killed while working overseas. His mother expressed she lost sleep after discovering her son’s final plot might one day be moved.

“It does trouble me to consider this may not remain his lasting home,” she said. “For us it’s an important site to visit.”

In her view, new burials should cease but says it is premature to disturb current plots. “What I would choose for now is to do nothing and watch carefully, but an timely resolution needs to be made when a critical moment has been reached.”

Seeking Solutions and Certainty

The lack of agreement over the timing and method to tackle the problem has left grieving relatives feeling exasperated and anxious.

Some are calling for additional coastal protections to slow the unavoidable loss and to permit funerals to continue for now. Others contend the time for moving graves is drawing near.

“It is very emotional,” said one relative. “The official study was really good, but now there’s uncertainty about how it is implemented. And everybody is washing their hands over who is responsible.”

A coastal manager said the burial sites were under the care of the local diocese. “In the end it is down to them to decide the path to take. Our role is here to help support them through that journey with residents.”

It was also stated there was ample time to consider all the choices. “We are talking decades before it begins getting lost.”

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

The possibility of the loss of the historic sites was labeled one of “profound sadness for the local community,” but faith leaders also spoke of a doctrine in life after death, offering a spiritual viewpoint on the temporal loss of sacred ground.