🔗 Share this article

Loved ones whose relatives laid to rest in graves vulnerable to shoreline retreat argue that a lack of decision on how best to address the issue is causing them unnecessary distress about the eternal homes of their loved ones.

An Impending Danger to Historic Churchyards

The council have singled out three church graveyards in the communities of Happisburgh, Mundesley, and Trimingham as being at risk of being swallowed by the ocean in the next few generations.

A newly published study on the situation sets out a series of possible actions, from taking no action to disinterring bodies and reburying them in more secure locations. Authorities maintain it is for local people to decide how to proceed.

“Right now we’re in a state of uncertainty. It causes me distress. My parents intended this to serve as their final resting place, but it isn’t going to 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 residents fear it will happen far earlier. “I think it’s got under 20 years, if you look at what’s occurred in the last 30 years,” one said.

Haunted by the Ghosts of Eccles

One resident remembered a school trip to the nearby village of Eccles, which has almost entirely vanished into the water, along with its place of worship and burial ground.

“You could see people’s bones,” she said. “Some have this idealized notion that people’s remains will just get carried away to the ocean. That is not the case. People will collect remains as mementos and go grave robbing in search of treasures. It’s completely disrespectful.”

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

A Paratrooper's Resting Place in Jeopardy

Further up the coast lies the burial plot of a ex-soldier killed while working abroad. His parent expressed she lost sleep after discovering her son’s final plot might one day be moved.

“It does disturb me to think this won’t be his permanent resting place,” she said. “For us it’s an important site to visit.”

She believes, new burials should stop but says it is too soon to disturb current plots. “My preference for now is to do nothing and watch carefully, but an early decision must be made when a tipping point has been reached.”

Seeking Solutions and Clarity

The lack of consensus over when and how to handle the challenge has resulted in bereaved families feeling exasperated and worried.

Several families want more sea defences to slow the inevitable erosion and to permit burials to continue for now. Different voices contend the moment for relocation is drawing near.

“The situation is very emotive,” a family member stated. “The official study was really good, but now there’s confusion about how it is implemented. And everybody is washing their hands over who is responsible.”

A local official said the graveyards were under the care of the church authorities. “Ultimately it is down to them to decide the direction to take. We are here to help support them through that journey with communities.”

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

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

The prospect of the loss of the historic sites was labeled one of “immense sorrow for the area,” but church representatives also spoke of a belief in life after death, providing a theological viewpoint on the temporal loss of sacred ground.