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Families whose relatives laid to rest in resting places at risk from coastal erosion say that a lack of decision over how to address the issue is causing them unnecessary distress concerning the final resting places of their departed family.

An Impending 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 consumed by the sea in the next few generations.

A recent report on the issue sets out a series of possible actions, from doing nothing to disinterring bodies and relocating them in safer locations. Officials maintain it is for the community to decide how to proceed.

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

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

Troubled by the Ghosts of Eccles

One resident remembered a school trip to the nearby settlement of Eccles, which has largely disappeared into the water, including its place of worship and burial ground.

“You could see people’s bones,” she said. “Some have this romantic idea that the deceased will just get carried away to sea. That is not the case. Individuals will collect remains as mementos and go grave robbing looking for valuables. That is completely undignified.”

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

A Paratrooper's Resting Place in Peril

Further up the coast is situated the burial plot of a ex-soldier who died while serving overseas. His parent expressed she could not sleep after learning her son’s final plot might one day be relocated.

“It does trouble me to think this won’t be his permanent resting place,” she said. “To our family it’s an important site to visit.”

In her view, new interments should stop but says it is premature to exhume existing graves. “What I would choose for now is to take no action and watch carefully, but an early decision needs to be made when a tipping point has been attained.”

Seeking Solutions and Certainty

The lack of consensus over the timing and method to handle the challenge has resulted in bereaved families feeling frustrated and worried.

Several families want additional sea defences to slow the inevitable erosion and to allow burials to continue for now. Different voices contend the time for relocation is approaching.

“The situation is very emotional,” said one relative. “The council’s report was thorough, but now there’s uncertainty about how it is implemented. And all parties is avoiding responsibility over who is accountable.”

A local official confirmed the graveyards were under the care of the church authorities. “Ultimately it is up to them to choose the path to take. We are here to help support them through that process with communities.”

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

“There is no unified opinion on what should be done yet. It requires good local conversations to discover the right solutions for each community.”

The prospect of the loss of the churches and graveyards was described as one of “immense sadness for the area,” but church representatives also spoke of a doctrine in life after death, offering a theological perspective on the physical disappearance of sacred ground.