🔗 Share this article

Families whose relatives buried in graves vulnerable to shoreline retreat say that indecision over how to address the problem is creating unnecessary distress concerning the eternal homes of their loved ones.

An Impending Threat to Ancient Graveyards

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

A recent report on the situation details a range of possible actions, from taking no action to disinterring bodies and relocating them in safer sites. Authorities say it is for the community to determine how to move forward.

“Right now we’re in limbo. It upsets me. They wanted this to serve as their final resting place, but it won't be because of the encroaching sea.”

Estimates suggest at least a portion of one churchyard could fall into the sea in the next 80 years, but some residents worry it will happen much sooner. “I think it’s got less than 20 years, if you consider what’s occurred in the last 30 years,” one said.

Haunted by the Ghosts of Eccles

One resident remembered a school trip to the neighbouring settlement of Eccles, which has largely vanished into the water, including its place of worship and burial ground.

“It was possible to see human remains,” she said. “Some have this idealized notion that people’s remains will just get carried away to sea. They won’t. People will collect remains as souvenirs and go grave robbing in search of valuables. It’s completely undignified.”

“I fear that the identical fate that happened at Eccles will happen at Happisburgh and there’ll be skeletons on the beach. I would feel appalled by that.”

A Paratrooper's Resting Place in Jeopardy

Further up the coast lies the grave of a former paratrooper killed while serving abroad. His mother said she could not sleep after learning her son’s grave might one day be moved.

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

She believes, new burials should stop but says it is premature to disturb current plots. “What I would choose for now is to take no action and watch carefully, but an early decision needs to be made when a tipping point has been reached.”

Searching for Solutions and Certainty

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

Some are calling for additional sea defences to slow 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 thorough, but now there’s uncertainty about how it is implemented. And everybody is avoiding responsibility over who is accountable.”

A local official said the graveyards were owned and managed 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 process with residents.”

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

“There is no unified opinion on what should happen yet. We need productive community discussions to discover the appropriate answers for each community.”

The prospect of losing the churches and graveyards was described as one of “profound sadness for the area,” but church representatives also referenced a belief in life after death, providing a spiritual perspective on the temporal loss of sacred ground.