🔗 Share this article

Loved ones whose relatives buried in resting places vulnerable to shoreline retreat argue that indecision over how to tackle the issue is creating unnecessary distress about the eternal homes of their departed family.

A Looming Threat to Ancient Graveyards

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

A newly published study on the situation details a series of possible actions, from taking no action to disinterring bodies and relocating them in more secure sites. Authorities say it is for the community to decide how to proceed.

“Right now we’re in limbo. It causes me distress. They intended this to serve as their last home, but it isn’t going to be because of the sea.”

Estimates suggest at least part of one churchyard 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 under 20 years, if you look at what’s occurred in the last 30 years,” one said.

Haunted by the Past

A local business owner remembered a school trip to the nearby village of Eccles, which has almost entirely vanished into the sea, along with its church and graveyard.

“It was possible to see human remains,” she said. “Some have this idealized notion that the deceased will just get carried away to sea. That is not the case. Individuals will collect remains as mementos and go grave robbing looking for treasures. It’s completely undignified.”

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

A Paratrooper's Resting Place in Peril

Further up the shoreline lies the grave of a former paratrooper who died while serving overseas. His parent expressed she could not sleep after discovering her child's final plot might one day be moved.

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

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

Seeking Solutions and Clarity

An absence of consensus over when and how to handle the problem has left bereaved families feeling frustrated and anxious.

Some want more sea defences to delay the inevitable erosion and to allow burials to continue for now. Others contend the time for relocation is drawing near.

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

A coastal manager confirmed the burial sites were owned and managed of the local diocese. “In the end it is up to them to choose the direction to take. We are here to help support them through that journey with residents.”

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

“There is no unified opinion on what should happen yet. It requires good local conversations to discover the right answers for each community.”

The prospect of the loss of the historic sites was described as one of “immense sorrow for the area,” but faith leaders also referenced a belief in resurrection, offering a spiritual viewpoint on the physical loss of hallowed earth.