🔗 Share this article

Families of people laid to rest in resting places vulnerable to coastal erosion state that indecision on how best to tackle the problem is causing them avoidable anguish concerning the eternal homes of their loved ones.

A Looming Threat to Ancient Graveyards

Local authorities have identified three burial grounds in the villages of Happisburgh, Mundesley, and Trimingham as being in danger of being consumed 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 disinterring bodies and reburying them in more secure sites. Officials say it is for the community to decide how to proceed.

“Right now we’re in a state of uncertainty. It upsets me. They wanted this to be their last home, but it won't be because of the sea.”

Projections suggest at least a portion of one churchyard could fall into the sea in the next 80 years, but some residents fear it will happen much sooner. “I think it’s got under 20 years, if you consider what’s occurred in the last 30 years,” one said.

Troubled by the Ghosts of Eccles

One resident remembered a childhood visit to the neighbouring settlement of Eccles, which has almost entirely disappeared into the water, including its place of worship and burial ground.

“It was possible to see people’s bones,” she said. “Certain people hold this romantic idea that the deceased will just get washed out to the ocean. They won’t. Individuals will take bones as mementos and go grave robbing in search of treasures. That is completely disrespectful.”

“I’m worried that the same thing that happened at Eccles will happen at Happisburgh and there’ll be bones on the shore. I would feel disgusted by that.”

A Soldier's Resting Place in Jeopardy

Further up the shoreline is situated the grave of a former paratrooper killed while working overseas. His mother said she lost sleep after discovering her child's grave might one day be moved.

“It truly disturb me to consider this won’t be his permanent home,” she said. “For us it’s an significant site to visit.”

In her view, new interments should cease but says it is too soon to exhume current plots. “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 Answers and Clarity

The lack of consensus over the timing and method to handle the problem has resulted in grieving relatives feeling frustrated and anxious.

Some want more sea defences to slow the unavoidable loss and to permit funerals to continue for now. Others argue the moment for moving graves is drawing near.

“The situation is very emotional,” said one relative. “The official study was thorough, but now there’s confusion about how it is implemented. And all parties is avoiding responsibility over who is responsible.”

A local official said the graveyards were under the care of the local diocese. “In the end it is down to them to choose the direction to take. Our role is here to help support them through that process with residents.”

He added there was ample time to consider all the options. “We are talking many years before it starts to be lost.”

“There is no unified opinion on what should be done yet. We need productive community discussions to find the appropriate solutions for each community.”

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