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Families of people buried in resting places at risk from coastal erosion argue that indecision on how best to address the issue is creating unnecessary distress about the final resting places of their loved ones.

A Looming Danger to Historic Graveyards

Local authorities have singled out three burial grounds in the villages of Happisburgh, Trimingham, and Mundesley as being at risk of being consumed by the sea in the next few generations.

A newly published study on the issue details a range of possible actions, from taking no action to exhuming remains and reburying them in safer locations. Authorities say it is for the community to determine how to move forward.

“At the moment we’re in limbo. It causes me distress. They wanted 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 churchyard could be claimed by the waves in the next 80 years, but some locals worry it will happen much sooner. “In my view it’s got under 20 years, if you look at what’s happened in the last 30 years,” one said.

Troubled by the Ghosts of Eccles

One resident recalled a childhood visit to the nearby settlement of Eccles, which has almost entirely disappeared into the sea, including its church and graveyard.

“You could see people’s bones,” she said. “Some have this idealized notion that people’s remains will just get washed out to the ocean. They won’t. People will take bones as mementos and go plundering graves looking for treasures. It’s completely undignified.”

“I fear that the same thing that happened at Eccles will occur here and there’ll be bones on the beach. I would feel appalled by that.”

A Soldier's Resting Place in Jeopardy

Along the coast lies the burial plot of a former paratrooper who died while working abroad. His mother expressed she could not sleep after discovering her son’s final plot might one day be moved.

“It truly trouble me to consider this may not remain his permanent resting place,” she said. “For us it’s an significant site to visit.”

In her view, new burials should cease but says it is premature to exhume 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 attained.”

Searching for Solutions and Clarity

The lack of consensus over the timing and method to tackle the challenge has left grieving relatives feeling exasperated and worried.

Some want additional sea defences to slow the unavoidable loss and to allow burials to proceed for now. Different voices argue the time for moving graves is approaching.

“The situation is very emotive,” a family member stated. “The council’s report was really good, but now there’s uncertainty about how it is taken forward. And all parties is washing their hands over who is accountable.”

A coastal manager said the burial sites were owned and managed of the church authorities. “Ultimately it is down to them to decide the path to take. Our role is here to help support them through that process with communities.”

He added there was time to consider all the choices. “This concerns decades before it begins getting lost.”

“There is no common view on what should happen yet. It requires productive community discussions to find the right solutions for each village.”

The prospect of losing the historic sites was described as one of “profound sorrow for the local community,” but faith leaders also referenced a belief in resurrection, offering a theological viewpoint on the temporal disappearance of hallowed earth.