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Families of people buried in graves vulnerable to coastal erosion say that indecision on how best to tackle the issue is causing them avoidable anguish about the eternal homes of their departed family.

An Impending Danger to Historic Graveyards

The council have singled out three burial grounds in the communities of Happisburgh, Trimingham, and Mundesley as being in danger of being swallowed by the sea in the next few generations.

A newly published study on the issue details a range of options, from doing nothing to exhuming remains and relocating them in safer locations. Officials maintain it is for the community to determine how to move forward.

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

Projections suggest at least a portion of one churchyard could be claimed by the sea in the next 80 years, but some residents fear it will happen much sooner. “In my view 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 nearby village of Eccles, which has almost entirely disappeared into the water, including its church and graveyard.

“You could see people’s bones,” she said. “Some have this romantic idea that people’s remains will just get carried away to the ocean. That is not the case. Individuals will take bones as mementos and go plundering graves in search of treasures. It’s completely disrespectful.”

“I fear that the same thing that befell at Eccles will happen here and there’ll be bones on the beach. I would feel appalled by that.”

A Paratrooper's Resting Place in Peril

Along the coast is situated the grave of a ex-soldier killed while working overseas. His parent said she could not sleep after learning her son’s grave might one day be relocated.

“It does trouble me to consider this may not remain his lasting resting place,” she said. “To our family it’s an important site to visit.”

She believes, new interments should cease but says it is premature to exhume existing graves. “What I would choose for now is to take no action and watch carefully, but an early decision must be made when a critical moment has been reached.”

Searching for Solutions and Clarity

The lack of agreement over when and how to tackle the challenge has left bereaved families feeling exasperated and worried.

Several families want additional sea defences to delay the inevitable erosion and to permit funerals to proceed for now. Others argue the time for moving graves is approaching.

“The situation is very emotional,” said one relative. “The council’s report was really good, but now there’s uncertainty about how it is implemented. And all parties is avoiding responsibility over who is accountable.”

A coastal manager confirmed the burial sites were owned and managed of the church authorities. “Ultimately it is down to them to choose the direction to take. We are here to help support them through that process with communities.”

He added there was ample time to weigh all the choices. “We are talking many years before it begins getting lost.”

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

The prospect of the loss of the historic sites was labeled one of “immense sorrow for the local community,” but faith leaders also spoke of a belief in resurrection, offering a spiritual viewpoint on the physical loss of sacred ground.