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Families whose relatives buried in resting places vulnerable to shoreline retreat argue that indecision on how best to tackle the problem is creating unnecessary distress about the eternal homes of their loved ones.

An Impending Danger to Historic Graveyards

Local authorities have identified three burial grounds in the villages of Happisburgh, Trimingham, and Mundesley as being at risk of being consumed by the ocean in the next few generations.

A recent report on the issue sets out a range of possible actions, from doing nothing to disinterring bodies and relocating them in safer locations. Authorities maintain it is for the community to decide 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 suggest at least part of one graveyard could be claimed by the waves in the next 80 years, but some locals fear it will happen much sooner. “In my view it’s got under 20 years, if you look at what’s happened in the last 30 years,” a farmer stated.

Haunted by the Past

A local business owner remembered a childhood visit to the neighbouring settlement of Eccles, which has largely vanished into the sea, including its church and graveyard.

“It was possible to see people’s bones,” she said. “Certain people hold this romantic idea that people’s remains will just get carried away to the ocean. They won’t. Individuals will collect remains as mementos and go plundering graves looking for treasures. It’s completely disrespectful.”

“I fear that the same thing that happened at Eccles will occur at Happisburgh and there’ll be bones on the shore. 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 mother said she lost sleep after discovering her child's grave might one day be moved.

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

She believes, new interments should stop but says it is premature to exhume current plots. “What I would choose for now is to do nothing and watch carefully, but an early decision needs to be made when a critical moment has been attained.”

Seeking Solutions and Certainty

An absence of consensus over when and how to tackle the challenge has resulted in grieving relatives feeling exasperated and worried.

Several families want additional coastal protections to delay the unavoidable loss and to allow burials to continue for now. Different voices argue the moment for relocation is drawing near.

“It is very emotional,” said one relative. “The official study was really good, but now there’s confusion about how it is taken forward. And all parties is washing their hands over who is accountable.”

A local official confirmed the burial sites were under the care of the local diocese. “Ultimately it is down to them to choose the path to take. We are here to help support them through that journey with communities.”

He added there was ample time to consider all the options. “This concerns decades before it begins getting lost.”

“There is no common view on what should be done yet. We need good local conversations to find the right solutions for each village.”

The prospect of the loss of the historic sites was labeled one of “profound sorrow for the local community,” but faith leaders also referenced a doctrine in resurrection, offering a spiritual viewpoint on the physical loss of hallowed earth.