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Families of people buried in graves vulnerable to coastal erosion say that a lack of decision over how to address the problem is causing them avoidable anguish about the final resting places of their loved ones.

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 swallowed by the sea in the coming decades.

A newly published study on the issue sets out a series of options, from taking no action to exhuming remains and reburying them in safer sites. Authorities say it is for the community to decide how to move forward.

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

Projections suggest at least part of one graveyard could be claimed by the sea in the next 80 years, but some residents fear it will happen much sooner. “In my view it’s got less than 20 years, if you consider what’s happened in the last 30 years,” a farmer stated.

Haunted by the Past

One resident recalled a school trip to the nearby village of Eccles, which has almost entirely vanished into the sea, along with its place of worship and burial ground.

“It was possible to see people’s bones,” she said. “Some have this idealized notion that the deceased will just get washed out to the ocean. They won’t. People will take bones as mementos and go plundering graves in search of treasures. That is completely undignified.”

“I’m worried that the same thing that happened at Eccles will occur at Happisburgh and there’ll be bones on the shore. I’d be disgusted by that.”

A Soldier's Grave in Jeopardy

Further up the shoreline lies the burial plot of a ex-soldier killed while serving overseas. His parent expressed she lost sleep after discovering her son’s grave might one day be moved.

“It truly disturb me to consider this won’t be his permanent home,” she said. “To our family it’s an significant place to go.”

She believes, new burials should stop but says it is premature to disturb current plots. “What I would choose for now is to do nothing and watch carefully, but an timely resolution needs to be made when a tipping point has been reached.”

Seeking Answers and Clarity

The lack of agreement over the timing and method to handle the challenge has left bereaved families feeling exasperated and worried.

Several families are calling for more sea defences to delay the inevitable erosion and to permit burials to proceed for now. Different voices argue the time for relocation is drawing near.

“The situation is very emotional,” a family member stated. “The official study was thorough, but now there’s confusion about how it is taken forward. And everybody is avoiding responsibility over who is responsible.”

A coastal manager said the burial sites were under the care of the church authorities. “Ultimately it is down to them to decide the path to take. Our role is here to assist them through that process with communities.”

It was also stated there was time to consider all the choices. “We are talking many years before it begins getting 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 losing the historic sites was labeled one of “profound sadness for the local community,” but faith leaders also spoke of a belief in resurrection, offering a spiritual viewpoint on the physical loss of sacred ground.