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Families whose relatives laid to rest in graves vulnerable to coastal erosion argue that a lack of decision on how best to tackle the problem is creating avoidable anguish about the final resting places of their departed family.

A Looming Threat to Historic Graveyards

Local authorities have singled out three church graveyards in the villages of Happisburgh, Mundesley, and Trimingham as being at risk of being swallowed by the ocean in the coming decades.

A newly published study on the situation details a range of possible actions, from doing nothing to disinterring bodies and relocating them in safer sites. Authorities say it is for local people to decide how to proceed.

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

Projections suggest at least part of one churchyard could be claimed by the sea in the next 80 years, but some residents worry 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.

Haunted by the Past

A local business owner recalled a childhood visit to the neighbouring settlement of Eccles, which has largely disappeared into the sea, including its church and graveyard.

“It was possible to see human remains,” she said. “Certain people hold this idealized notion that the deceased will just get washed out to sea. They won’t. Individuals will take bones as souvenirs and go plundering graves in search of treasures. It’s completely undignified.”

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

A Paratrooper's Grave in Jeopardy

Further up the coast is situated the grave of a ex-soldier who died while working abroad. His mother expressed she lost sleep after discovering her son’s final plot might one day be moved.

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

She believes, new burials should stop but says it is premature to disturb existing graves. “My preference for now is to do nothing and closely monitor, but an early decision needs to be made when a tipping point has been reached.”

Searching for Answers and Certainty

An absence of agreement over when and how to handle the problem has resulted in bereaved families feeling exasperated and anxious.

Some want additional sea defences to slow the unavoidable loss and to permit funerals to proceed for now. Different voices contend the time for relocation is approaching.

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

A coastal manager confirmed the burial sites were owned and managed of the church authorities. “In the end it is up to them to choose the path to take. Our role is here to help support them through that journey with communities.”

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

“Currently, there exists no unified opinion on what should be done yet. We need productive community discussions to find the right answers for each community.”

The prospect of losing the historic sites was labeled one of “profound sadness for the local community,” but faith leaders also spoke of a belief in resurrection, offering a theological perspective on the physical loss of hallowed earth.