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Families of people buried in resting places at risk from coastal erosion argue that a lack of decision over how to tackle the issue is causing them avoidable anguish concerning the final resting places of their loved ones.

An Impending Threat to Historic Churchyards

Local authorities 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 recent report on the situation sets out a range of options, from doing nothing to exhuming remains and relocating them in more secure sites. Authorities say it is for the community to determine how to move forward.

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

Projections suggest at least part of one graveyard could be claimed by the waves in the next 80 years, but some locals worry it will happen far earlier. “I think it’s got less than 20 years, if you look at what’s happened in the last 30 years,” one said.

Haunted by the Ghosts of Eccles

One resident recalled a childhood visit to the nearby settlement of Eccles, which has largely vanished into the sea, including its place of worship and burial ground.

“It was possible to see human remains,” she said. “Some have this idealized notion that the deceased 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 befell at Eccles will occur here and there’ll be skeletons on the beach. I’d be appalled by that.”

A Paratrooper's Resting Place in Peril

Further up the coast is situated the grave of a former paratrooper who died while working overseas. His mother said she lost sleep after learning her son’s final plot might one day be moved.

“It truly trouble me to think this may not remain his permanent resting place,” she said. “To our family it’s an significant site to visit.”

She believes, new burials should cease but says it is too soon to exhume current plots. “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

The lack of consensus over when and how to handle the challenge has resulted in bereaved families feeling exasperated and anxious.

Several families want more sea defences to delay the unavoidable loss and to allow burials to proceed for now. Different voices contend the time for relocation is approaching.

“It is very emotive,” a family member stated. “The official study was really good, but now there’s uncertainty about how it is implemented. And everybody is avoiding responsibility over who is accountable.”

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

It was also stated there was ample time to weigh all the choices. “We are talking many years before it starts to be lost.”

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

The possibility of the loss of the historic sites was labeled one of “immense sorrow for the area,” but church representatives also referenced a doctrine in life after death, offering a theological viewpoint on the temporal disappearance of hallowed earth.