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Loved ones whose relatives laid to rest in graves at risk from coastal erosion argue that indecision on how best to tackle the problem is creating unnecessary distress about the eternal homes of their departed family.

An Impending Danger to Ancient Graveyards

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

A newly published study on the issue sets out a range of possible actions, from doing nothing to exhuming remains and reburying them in more secure locations. Authorities say it is for local people to determine how to proceed.

“Right now we’re in limbo. It upsets me. My parents intended this to be their last home, but it isn’t going to be because of the encroaching sea.”

Estimates indicate at least part of one churchyard could be claimed by the sea in the next 80 years, but some locals fear it will happen much sooner. “In my view it’s got less than 20 years, if you consider what’s occurred in the last 30 years,” one said.

Troubled by the Past

A local business owner recalled a school trip to the nearby settlement of Eccles, which has largely vanished into the water, including its place of worship and burial ground.

“You could see people’s bones,” she said. “Some have this romantic idea that people’s remains will just get carried away to sea. They won’t. Individuals will collect remains as mementos and go grave robbing in search of treasures. It’s completely disrespectful.”

“I’m worried that the same thing that happened at Eccles will happen here 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 abroad. His mother expressed she lost sleep after learning her son’s grave might one day be relocated.

“It does trouble me to think this may not remain his lasting resting place,” she said. “For us it’s an important place to go.”

She believes, new interments should stop 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 tipping point has been attained.”

Searching for Answers and Certainty

An absence of agreement over the timing and method to handle the problem has resulted in bereaved families feeling frustrated and worried.

Some want additional sea defences to slow the inevitable erosion and to permit burials to continue for now. Different voices argue the moment for moving graves is approaching.

“It is very emotive,” said one relative. “The council’s report was thorough, but now there’s uncertainty about how it is taken forward. And all parties is avoiding responsibility over who is responsible.”

A coastal manager 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. We are here to help support them through that journey with residents.”

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

“Currently, there exists no unified opinion on what should happen yet. We need good local conversations to find the right solutions for each village.”

The prospect of losing the churches and graveyards was labeled one of “immense sadness for the local community,” but faith leaders also referenced a doctrine in life after death, providing a theological perspective on the physical loss of sacred ground.