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Families whose relatives buried in resting places vulnerable to coastal erosion state that a lack of decision over how to address the problem is causing them avoidable anguish concerning the final resting places of their loved ones.

An Impending Danger to Ancient Churchyards

Local authorities have singled out three church graveyards in the communities of Happisburgh, Mundesley, and Trimingham as being in danger of being engulfed by the sea in the next few generations.

A newly published study on the issue details a series of options, from taking no action to exhuming remains and relocating them in more secure sites. Officials say it is for local people to decide how to proceed.

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

Projections indicate at least part of one graveyard could be claimed by the waves in the next 80 years, but some residents fear it will happen much sooner. “In my view it’s got less than 20 years, if you consider what’s occurred in the last 30 years,” a farmer stated.

Haunted by the Past

A local business owner recalled a school trip to the nearby settlement of Eccles, which has almost entirely vanished into the water, along with its place of worship and burial ground.

“It was possible to see people’s bones,” she said. “Some have this romantic idea that people’s remains will just get washed out to the ocean. They won’t. Individuals will collect remains as mementos and go plundering graves looking for treasures. It’s completely disrespectful.”

“I fear that the identical fate that befell at Eccles will happen at Happisburgh and there’ll be skeletons on the beach. I would feel appalled by that.”

A Soldier's Resting Place in Peril

Along the coast lies the grave of a former paratrooper killed while serving abroad. His mother said she could not sleep after learning her son’s grave might one day be relocated.

“It does trouble me to think this may not remain his permanent resting place,” she said. “To our family it’s an important place to go.”

In her view, new interments should stop but says it is premature to exhume current plots. “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 reached.”

Searching for Answers and Certainty

The lack of consensus over the timing and method to handle the challenge has resulted in grieving relatives feeling exasperated and anxious.

Some are calling for additional sea defences to delay the unavoidable loss and to permit burials to continue for now. Others argue the time for moving graves is approaching.

“It is very emotive,” said one relative. “The official study was thorough, but now there’s confusion about how it is taken forward. And everybody is avoiding responsibility over who is responsible.”

A local official said the graveyards were under the care of the local diocese. “In the end it is up to them to decide the path to take. We are here to help support them through that journey with residents.”

It was also stated there was ample time to weigh all the choices. “We are talking many years before it begins getting lost.”

“There is no unified opinion on what should happen yet. We need productive community discussions to find the right answers for each community.”

The prospect of the loss of the churches and graveyards was labeled one of “profound sorrow for the area,” but church representatives also referenced a doctrine in resurrection, providing a spiritual viewpoint on the physical loss of sacred ground.