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Families of people buried in graves vulnerable to shoreline retreat state that indecision on how best to tackle the problem is causing them avoidable anguish about the final resting places of their loved ones.

A Looming Danger to Historic Churchyards

Local authorities have singled out three burial grounds in the villages of Happisburgh, Mundesley, and Trimingham as being at risk of being consumed by the ocean in the coming decades.

A recent report on the issue details a range of possible actions, from doing nothing to exhuming remains and relocating them in safer sites. Officials say it is for the community to decide how to proceed.

“Right now we’re in a state of uncertainty. It upsets me. They wanted this to be their last home, but it isn’t going to be because of the encroaching sea.”

Projections indicate at least a portion of one churchyard could be claimed by the waves in the next 80 years, but some residents fear it will happen much sooner. “I think it’s got under 20 years, if you consider what’s occurred in the last 30 years,” a farmer stated.

Haunted by the Past

One resident recalled a school trip to the neighbouring village of Eccles, which has largely disappeared into the water, along with its church and graveyard.

“You could see human remains,” she said. “Some have this romantic idea that the deceased will just get washed out to the ocean. They won’t. Individuals will take bones as souvenirs and go plundering graves looking for valuables. It’s completely undignified.”

“I’m worried that the identical fate that befell at Eccles will occur at Happisburgh and there’ll be skeletons on the shore. I would feel appalled by that.”

A Paratrooper's Grave in Jeopardy

Along the coast is situated the grave of a former paratrooper who died while serving overseas. His mother expressed she lost sleep after discovering her child's grave might one day be relocated.

“It truly trouble me to think this may not remain his permanent home,” she said. “For us it’s an important place to go.”

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

Searching for Solutions and Certainty

The lack of agreement over the timing and method to handle the problem has left grieving relatives feeling exasperated and worried.

Several families want additional coastal protections to slow the unavoidable loss and to permit burials to proceed for now. Others contend the time for relocation is approaching.

“The situation is very emotional,” said one relative. “The council’s report was really good, but now there’s uncertainty about how it is taken forward. And all parties is avoiding responsibility over who is accountable.”

A coastal manager confirmed the burial sites were owned and managed of the church authorities. “In the end it is up to them to choose the path to take. We are here to help support them through that process with communities.”

It was also stated there was time to weigh all the options. “This concerns many years before it begins getting lost.”

“Currently, there exists no unified opinion on what should be done yet. We need good local conversations to find the appropriate solutions for each village.”

The possibility 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 life after death, providing a spiritual perspective on the physical loss of sacred ground.