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Loved ones of people buried in graves vulnerable to shoreline retreat state that a lack of decision over how to tackle the issue is causing them avoidable anguish about the final resting places of their loved ones.

A Looming Threat to Historic Graveyards

Local authorities have identified three burial grounds in the communities of Happisburgh, Mundesley, and Trimingham as being in danger of being swallowed by the sea in the next few generations.

A newly published study on the situation sets out a series of options, from doing nothing to disinterring bodies and relocating them in safer locations. Officials maintain it is for local people to decide how to move forward.

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

Estimates indicate at least a portion of one graveyard could be claimed by the waves in the next 80 years, but some residents worry it will happen far earlier. “I think it’s got less than 20 years, if you look at what’s happened in the last 30 years,” a farmer stated.

Troubled by the Past

One resident recalled a childhood visit to the nearby village of Eccles, which has almost entirely vanished into the water, including its place of worship and burial ground.

“It was possible to see people’s bones,” she said. “Certain people hold this romantic idea that people’s remains will just get carried away to sea. They won’t. Individuals will take bones as souvenirs and go plundering graves looking for treasures. That is completely disrespectful.”

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

A Paratrooper's Grave in Peril

Further up the coast is situated the grave of a ex-soldier killed while working abroad. His parent said she lost sleep after learning her child's grave might one day be moved.

“It truly disturb me to think this may not remain his permanent resting place,” she said. “For us it’s an important place to go.”

In her view, new interments should cease but says it is premature 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 Clarity

An absence of consensus over when and how to handle the challenge has left grieving relatives feeling exasperated and worried.

Some want additional sea defences to slow the unavoidable loss and to allow burials to continue for now. Different voices contend the moment for moving graves is drawing near.

“It is very emotional,” a family member stated. “The council’s report was really good, but now there’s uncertainty about how it is implemented. And all parties is avoiding responsibility over who is accountable.”

A local official confirmed the burial sites were under the care of the local diocese. “Ultimately it is down to them to decide the path to take. We are here to help support them through that process with residents.”

It was also stated there was time to weigh all the choices. “This concerns many years before it begins getting lost.”

“Currently, there exists no common view on what should happen yet. It requires good local conversations to find the appropriate solutions for each community.”

The possibility of the loss of the historic sites was described as one of “immense sorrow for the area,” but church representatives also spoke of a belief in life after death, providing a theological viewpoint on the physical disappearance of hallowed earth.