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

An Impending Danger to Ancient Churchyards

The council have identified three burial grounds in the communities of Happisburgh, Mundesley, and Trimingham as being in danger of being engulfed by the ocean in the next few generations.

A recent report on the issue sets out a range of possible actions, from doing nothing to exhuming remains and reburying them in more secure sites. Authorities say it is for the community to decide how to move forward.

“Right now we’re in limbo. It causes me distress. My parents wanted this to serve as their final resting place, but it isn’t going to be because of the encroaching sea.”

Projections indicate at least part of one graveyard could be claimed by the sea in the next 80 years, but some residents fear it will happen far earlier. “I think it’s got less than 20 years, if you look at what’s occurred in the last 30 years,” one said.

Troubled by the Ghosts of Eccles

One resident recalled a school trip to the neighbouring settlement of Eccles, which has largely vanished into the water, along with its place of worship and burial ground.

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

“I fear that the same thing that befell at Eccles will happen at Happisburgh and there’ll be bones on the shore. I’d be appalled by that.”

A Soldier's Resting Place in Jeopardy

Along the coast lies the grave of a ex-soldier who died while working abroad. His parent expressed she lost sleep after discovering her child's grave might one day be moved.

“It does trouble me to think this won’t be his lasting home,” she said. “For us it’s an important place to go.”

In her view, new burials should stop but says it is too soon to disturb existing graves. “What I would choose for now is to do nothing and closely monitor, but an timely resolution needs to be made when a tipping point has been reached.”

Seeking Solutions and Clarity

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

Several families want additional coastal protections to slow the inevitable erosion and to allow burials to proceed for now. Others argue the time for moving graves is approaching.

“It is very emotive,” said one relative. “The official study was thorough, but now there’s uncertainty about how it is implemented. And all parties is washing their hands over who is accountable.”

A coastal manager said the graveyards were owned and managed of the local diocese. “In the end it is down to them to choose the direction to take. Our role is here to assist them through that process with communities.”

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

“Currently, there exists no unified opinion on what should be done yet. It requires productive community discussions to discover the appropriate solutions for each village.”

The prospect of losing the historic sites was labeled one of “immense sorrow for the local community,” but church representatives also spoke of a belief in resurrection, offering a theological perspective on the temporal loss of hallowed earth.