🔗 Share this article

Loved ones whose relatives laid to rest in graves vulnerable to coastal erosion state that a lack of decision over how to tackle the problem is causing them unnecessary distress about the final resting places of their departed family.

A Looming Danger to Historic Graveyards

Local authorities have identified three church graveyards in the villages of Happisburgh, Mundesley, and Trimingham as being in danger of being engulfed by the ocean in the coming decades.

A recent report on the situation details a range of options, from doing nothing to exhuming remains and relocating them in more secure sites. Officials maintain it is for local people to decide how to proceed.

“Right now we’re in a state of uncertainty. It causes me distress. They intended this to be their final resting place, but it isn’t going to be because of the sea.”

Estimates indicate at least a portion of one graveyard 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 look at what’s occurred in the last 30 years,” one said.

Troubled by the Ghosts of Eccles

One resident remembered a childhood visit to the neighbouring settlement of Eccles, which has almost entirely vanished into the sea, including its place of worship and burial ground.

“You could see human remains,” she said. “Some have this idealized notion that the deceased will just get washed out to sea. That is not the case. People will take bones as souvenirs and go grave robbing looking for valuables. It’s completely undignified.”

“I’m worried that the same thing that befell at Eccles will happen at Happisburgh and there’ll be skeletons on the shore. I would feel disgusted by that.”

A Soldier's Resting Place in Jeopardy

Along the shoreline is situated the burial plot of a ex-soldier who died while working abroad. His mother expressed she could not sleep after discovering her son’s grave might one day be relocated.

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

She believes, new interments should stop but says it is too soon to disturb existing graves. “What I would choose for now is to take no action and watch carefully, but an timely resolution must be made when a critical moment has been attained.”

Seeking Solutions and Certainty

An absence of agreement over the timing and method to tackle the challenge has resulted in bereaved families feeling exasperated and anxious.

Some want more sea defences to slow the unavoidable loss and to permit burials to continue for now. Different voices argue the moment for relocation is approaching.

“It is very emotional,” a family member stated. “The council’s report was really good, but now there’s confusion about how it is implemented. And everybody is avoiding responsibility over who is accountable.”

A coastal manager confirmed the graveyards were owned and managed of the church authorities. “Ultimately it is up to them to decide the path to take. We are here to assist them through that journey with residents.”

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

“There is no common view on what should be done yet. We need good community discussions to find the appropriate answers for each village.”

The prospect of the loss of the historic sites was labeled one of “profound sorrow for the local community,” but church representatives also spoke of a belief in resurrection, providing a theological perspective on the physical loss of hallowed earth.