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Families of people buried in resting places at risk from shoreline retreat state that a lack of decision on how best to tackle the problem is causing them avoidable anguish about the eternal homes of their departed family.

A Looming Danger to Ancient Churchyards

Local authorities have identified three church graveyards in the communities of Happisburgh, Mundesley, and Trimingham as being in danger of being swallowed by the ocean in the coming decades.

A recent report on the issue sets out a series of options, from taking no action to exhuming remains and relocating them in more secure sites. Officials maintain it is for the community to determine how to proceed.

“At the moment we’re in limbo. It causes me distress. They intended this to be their final resting place, but it won't be because of the encroaching sea.”

Projections indicate at least part of one graveyard could be claimed by the waves in the next 80 years, but some locals worry it will happen far earlier. “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 Past

A local business owner recalled a childhood visit to the neighbouring settlement of Eccles, which has almost entirely disappeared into the sea, including its church and graveyard.

“It was possible to see people’s bones,” she said. “Certain people hold this idealized notion that people’s remains will just get carried away to the ocean. They won’t. Individuals will take bones as souvenirs and go grave robbing in search of valuables. It’s completely undignified.”

“I fear that the identical fate that happened at Eccles will occur here and there’ll be skeletons on the shore. I’d be disgusted by that.”

A Paratrooper's Resting Place in Jeopardy

Along the coast lies the burial plot of a ex-soldier who died while working overseas. His mother expressed she could not sleep after learning her son’s final plot might one day be relocated.

“It does trouble me to consider this won’t be his permanent resting place,” she said. “To our family it’s an important site to visit.”

In her view, new burials should cease but says it is too soon to exhume current plots. “My preference for now is to do nothing and closely monitor, but an early decision must be made when a tipping point has been reached.”

Searching for Answers and Certainty

The lack of agreement over the timing and method to handle the problem has resulted in bereaved families feeling frustrated and anxious.

Several families are calling for additional coastal protections to delay the unavoidable loss and to allow burials to continue for now. Different voices argue the moment for moving graves is approaching.

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

A local official confirmed the burial sites were owned and managed of the church authorities. “Ultimately it is down to them to choose the path to take. We are here to assist them through that journey with residents.”

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

“There is no common view on what should be done yet. We need productive community discussions to discover the right solutions for each community.”

The prospect of the loss of the churches and graveyards was labeled one of “immense sorrow for the local community,” but faith leaders also spoke of a doctrine in resurrection, providing a theological perspective on the physical loss of hallowed earth.