🔗 Share this article

Families whose relatives laid to rest in resting places vulnerable to shoreline retreat state that a lack of decision over how to tackle the issue is causing them unnecessary distress about the final resting places of their departed family.

A Looming Danger to Historic Churchyards

The council have identified three church graveyards in the communities of Happisburgh, Mundesley, and Trimingham as being at risk of being swallowed by the sea in the next few generations.

A newly published study on the issue sets out a range of possible actions, from taking no action to disinterring bodies and relocating them in safer sites. Authorities say it is for the community to determine how to proceed.

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

Projections suggest at least part of one churchyard could fall into the waves in the next 80 years, but some residents worry it will happen far earlier. “I think it’s got under 20 years, if you consider what’s occurred in the last 30 years,” one said.

Haunted by the Past

A local business owner recalled a childhood visit to the neighbouring settlement of Eccles, which has largely vanished into the sea, including its place of worship and burial ground.

“It was possible to see human remains,” she said. “Some have this romantic idea that the deceased will just get carried away to the ocean. That is not the case. People will collect remains as souvenirs and go plundering graves in search of treasures. It’s completely disrespectful.”

“I’m worried that the identical fate that happened at Eccles will happen at Happisburgh and there’ll be bones on the beach. I’d be appalled by that.”

A Soldier's Grave in Jeopardy

Along the coast lies the grave of a ex-soldier who died while serving abroad. His mother expressed she could not sleep after discovering her son’s grave might one day be relocated.

“It truly disturb me to consider this may not remain his permanent resting place,” she said. “For us 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 take no action and watch carefully, but an early decision must be made when a critical moment has been attained.”

Searching for Answers and Clarity

An absence of agreement over when and how to tackle the challenge has resulted in grieving relatives feeling frustrated and worried.

Several families are calling for more coastal protections to slow the inevitable erosion and to allow funerals to proceed for now. Others contend the time for relocation is drawing near.

“The situation is very emotive,” said one relative. “The council’s report 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 graveyards were under the care of the church authorities. “Ultimately it is down to them to choose the direction to take. We are here to help support them through that process with residents.”

It was also stated there was time to consider all the choices. “We are talking decades before it starts to be lost.”

“There is no common view on what should happen yet. It requires good community discussions to discover the appropriate answers for each village.”

The prospect of losing the historic sites was labeled one of “profound sorrow for the area,” but church representatives also spoke of a doctrine in resurrection, providing a spiritual perspective on the physical disappearance of hallowed earth.