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Families of people buried in graves at risk from shoreline retreat say that a lack of decision over how to address the problem is creating unnecessary distress concerning the eternal homes of their loved ones.

An Impending Threat to Ancient Graveyards

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

A recent report on the issue details a series of options, from doing nothing to exhuming remains and relocating them in more secure locations. Officials say it is for local people to determine how to move forward.

“Right now we’re in limbo. It causes me distress. They intended this to serve as their last home, but it isn’t going to be because of the sea.”

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

Haunted by the Ghosts of Eccles

One resident remembered a school trip to the nearby village of Eccles, which has almost entirely disappeared into the sea, along with its place of worship and burial ground.

“You could see people’s bones,” she said. “Certain people hold this romantic idea that the deceased will just get washed out to the ocean. That is not the case. People will take bones as souvenirs and go plundering graves in search of valuables. It’s completely disrespectful.”

“I fear that the identical fate that happened at Eccles will occur here and there’ll be bones on the beach. I would feel appalled by that.”

A Soldier's Grave in Peril

Along the coast lies the burial plot of a ex-soldier killed while serving overseas. His parent said she could not sleep after learning her child's final plot might one day be moved.

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

She believes, new burials should cease but says it is too soon to disturb existing graves. “My preference for now is to do nothing and watch carefully, but an early decision must be made when a critical moment has been reached.”

Searching for Solutions and Clarity

The lack of consensus over when and how to tackle the challenge has resulted in grieving relatives feeling exasperated and anxious.

Several families are calling for additional coastal protections to delay the unavoidable loss and to permit funerals to proceed for now. Different voices contend the time for moving graves is approaching.

“It is very emotional,” said one relative. “The council’s report was really good, but now there’s confusion about how it is implemented. And all parties is washing their hands over who is responsible.”

A coastal manager said the graveyards were owned and managed of the local diocese. “Ultimately it is up 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 choices. “We are talking many years before it starts to be lost.”

“There is no unified opinion on what should happen yet. We need productive community discussions to discover the appropriate solutions for each village.”

The possibility of losing the historic sites was labeled one of “immense sadness for the area,” but faith leaders also spoke of a doctrine in resurrection, providing a spiritual viewpoint on the physical disappearance of hallowed earth.