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Families whose relatives buried in graves at risk from shoreline retreat say that a lack of decision over how to address the problem is causing them avoidable anguish about the final resting places of their departed family.

A Looming Threat to Ancient Graveyards

The council have identified three church graveyards in the communities of Happisburgh, Trimingham, and Mundesley as being in danger of being engulfed by the ocean in the next few generations.

A recent report on the issue details a range of possible actions, from doing nothing to disinterring bodies and reburying them in more secure sites. Authorities maintain it is for the community to determine how to move forward.

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

Projections indicate at least part of one churchyard could be claimed by the waves in the next 80 years, but some residents worry it will happen much sooner. “In my view it’s got under 20 years, if you look at what’s occurred in the last 30 years,” a farmer stated.

Haunted by the Past

One resident remembered a school trip to the neighbouring settlement of Eccles, which has largely disappeared into the sea, including its church and graveyard.

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

“I fear that the same thing that happened at Eccles will occur here and there’ll be bones on the shore. I would feel disgusted by that.”

A Paratrooper's Resting Place in Jeopardy

Along the coast is situated the grave of a former paratrooper killed while working overseas. His parent expressed she could not sleep after learning her child's grave might one day be relocated.

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

She believes, new burials should cease but says it is too soon to disturb existing graves. “What I would choose for now is to do nothing and closely monitor, but an early decision must be made when a tipping point has been attained.”

Searching for Solutions and Certainty

The lack of agreement over the timing and method to tackle the problem has left grieving relatives feeling frustrated and anxious.

Several families want more coastal protections to delay the unavoidable loss and to allow funerals to continue for now. Others contend the time for moving graves is approaching.

“The situation is very emotive,” said one relative. “The council’s report was thorough, but now there’s uncertainty about how it is implemented. And everybody is washing their hands over who is responsible.”

A coastal manager said the burial sites were owned and managed of the local diocese. “In the end it is up to them to decide the path to take. Our role is here to assist them through that journey with residents.”

He added there was ample time to consider all the choices. “We are talking many years before it starts to be lost.”

“There is no unified opinion on what should be done yet. We need productive local conversations to discover the right answers for each village.”

The possibility of the loss of the historic sites was labeled one of “profound sorrow for the area,” but church representatives also spoke of a belief in resurrection, offering a spiritual viewpoint on the temporal disappearance of sacred ground.