🔗 Share this article

Loved ones of people laid to rest in graves vulnerable to shoreline retreat argue that indecision on how best to address the issue is creating unnecessary distress about the final resting places of their loved ones.

A Looming Threat to Historic Graveyards

Local authorities have singled out three church graveyards in the communities of Happisburgh, Trimingham, and Mundesley as being in danger of being swallowed by the ocean in the next few generations.

A recent report on the situation details a range of possible actions, from taking no action to exhuming remains and relocating them in safer locations. Authorities say it is for local people to decide how to move forward.

“Right now we’re in limbo. It upsets me. My parents wanted this to be their final resting place, but it won't be because of the sea.”

Projections suggest at least a portion of one churchyard could be claimed by the waves in the next 80 years, but some locals fear it will happen much sooner. “I think it’s got under 20 years, if you look at what’s happened in the last 30 years,” one said.

Troubled by the Ghosts of Eccles

A local business owner recalled a childhood visit to the neighbouring settlement of Eccles, which has almost entirely vanished into the sea, along with its place of worship and burial ground.

“You could see human remains,” she said. “Certain people hold this romantic idea that people’s remains will just get washed out to sea. That is not the case. Individuals will collect remains as souvenirs and go grave robbing in search of treasures. It’s completely undignified.”

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

A Soldier's Resting Place in Jeopardy

Along the coast is situated the burial plot of a former paratrooper who died while working abroad. His parent expressed she lost sleep after discovering her child's final plot might one day be relocated.

“It truly disturb me to consider this may not remain 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 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 Answers and Clarity

An absence of consensus over the timing and method to handle the challenge has resulted in grieving relatives feeling frustrated and anxious.

Some want more sea defences to slow the unavoidable loss and to permit burials to proceed for now. Different voices contend the time for relocation is drawing near.

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

A local official said the burial sites were under the care of the church authorities. “Ultimately it is up to them to choose the path to take. Our role is here to assist them through that process with residents.”

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 common view on what should be done yet. We need productive community discussions to find the appropriate solutions for each community.”

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