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Loved ones of people laid to rest in resting places vulnerable to shoreline retreat say that a lack of decision over how to address the problem is causing them avoidable anguish about the eternal homes of their departed family.

An Impending Threat to Historic 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 recent report on the issue sets out a range of possible actions, from taking no action to exhuming remains and relocating them in more secure locations. 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 churchyard could be claimed by the sea in the next 80 years, but some locals fear it will happen much sooner. “In my view it’s got less than 20 years, if you look at what’s occurred in the last 30 years,” a farmer stated.

Troubled by the Ghosts of Eccles

A local business owner remembered a school trip to the neighbouring village of Eccles, which has largely 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 idealized notion that the deceased will just get carried away to sea. That is not the case. Individuals will collect remains as mementos and go grave robbing in search of valuables. It’s completely undignified.”

“I’m worried that the identical fate that happened at Eccles will happen at Happisburgh and there’ll be bones on the shore. I would feel disgusted by that.”

A Soldier's Grave in Peril

Along the coast is situated the grave of a ex-soldier killed while serving overseas. His parent said she could not sleep after discovering her child's grave might one day be relocated.

“It does trouble me to consider this won’t be his permanent home,” she said. “To our family it’s an significant place to go.”

In her view, new interments should stop but says it is premature to exhume existing graves. “My preference for now is to do nothing and closely monitor, but an timely resolution must be made when a tipping point has been attained.”

Searching for Solutions and Clarity

The lack of agreement over when and how to tackle the problem has left grieving relatives feeling exasperated and worried.

Some are calling for additional coastal protections to delay the inevitable erosion and to permit burials to continue for now. Different voices contend the time for relocation is drawing near.

“It is very emotional,” said one relative. “The official study was thorough, but now there’s uncertainty about how it is taken forward. And everybody is washing their hands over who is responsible.”

A coastal manager confirmed the graveyards were under the care of the church authorities. “Ultimately it is down to them to decide the path to take. We are here to assist them through that process with residents.”

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

“Currently, there exists no unified opinion on what should be done yet. It requires good local conversations to find the right answers for each village.”

The possibility of the loss of the historic sites was described as one of “immense sorrow for the local community,” but faith leaders also referenced a doctrine in resurrection, providing a theological viewpoint on the temporal disappearance of hallowed earth.