🔗 Share this article

Families whose relatives buried in resting places vulnerable to shoreline retreat say that indecision over how to address the problem is causing them avoidable anguish about the eternal homes of their departed family.

A Looming Threat to Ancient Graveyards

Local authorities have identified three church graveyards in the communities of Happisburgh, Mundesley, and Trimingham as being at risk of being consumed by the sea in the next few generations.

A newly published study on the issue details a series of options, from taking no action to exhuming remains and reburying them in more secure sites. Officials say 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 wanted this to serve as their last home, but it isn’t going to be because of the sea.”

Estimates suggest at least part of one graveyard could be claimed by the sea in the next 80 years, but some locals fear it will happen far earlier. “I think it’s got under 20 years, if you look at what’s happened in the last 30 years,” a farmer stated.

Haunted by the Ghosts of Eccles

A local business owner remembered a school trip to the neighbouring village of Eccles, which has largely vanished into the water, including its church and graveyard.

“You could see people’s bones,” she said. “Some have this romantic idea that the deceased will just get washed out to the ocean. That is not the case. People will collect remains as mementos and go plundering graves in search of treasures. That is completely undignified.”

“I’m worried that the identical fate that befell at Eccles will occur at Happisburgh and there’ll be skeletons on the shore. I’d be disgusted by that.”

A Soldier's Resting Place in Peril

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

“It does trouble me to think this may not remain his lasting home,” she said. “To our family it’s an important place to go.”

She believes, new interments should cease but says it is too soon to disturb current plots. “What I would choose for now is to do nothing and watch carefully, but an timely resolution needs to be made when a tipping point has been reached.”

Seeking Answers and Certainty

The lack of consensus over when and how to tackle the challenge has resulted in grieving relatives feeling exasperated and anxious.

Several families are calling for more coastal protections to slow the unavoidable loss and to permit funerals to continue for now. Different voices argue the moment for relocation is approaching.

“It is very emotional,” said one relative. “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 confirmed the burial sites were under the care of the local diocese. “In the end it is down to them to decide the path to take. Our role is here to help support them through that journey with communities.”

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

“Currently, there exists no unified opinion on what should happen yet. It requires good community discussions to discover the right answers for each community.”

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