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Families of people laid to rest in graves at risk from shoreline retreat say that indecision over how to tackle the problem is causing them avoidable anguish about the final resting places of their departed family.

An Impending Threat to Historic Churchyards

The council have singled out three church graveyards in the communities of Happisburgh, Trimingham, and Mundesley as being in danger of being consumed by the ocean in the next few generations.

A newly published study on the issue details a range of options, from doing nothing to disinterring bodies and reburying them in more secure locations. Officials say it is for local people to decide how to move forward.

“At the moment we’re in a state of uncertainty. It causes me distress. They wanted this to serve as their last home, but it isn’t going to be because of the encroaching sea.”

Estimates indicate at least part of one churchyard could be claimed by the waves in the next 80 years, but some residents worry it will happen far earlier. “In my view it’s got under 20 years, if you consider what’s occurred in the last 30 years,” one said.

Haunted by the Past

A local business owner remembered a childhood visit to the nearby settlement of Eccles, which has largely vanished into the water, along with its church and graveyard.

“You could see human remains,” she said. “Certain people hold this idealized notion that the deceased will just get carried away to sea. That is not the case. Individuals will collect remains as souvenirs and go plundering graves looking for treasures. It’s completely disrespectful.”

“I fear that the same thing that happened at Eccles will happen here and there’ll be bones on the beach. I would feel disgusted by that.”

A Paratrooper's Grave in Jeopardy

Along the shoreline is situated the grave of a former paratrooper who died while working overseas. His mother said she lost sleep after discovering her son’s grave might one day be relocated.

“It truly disturb me to consider this won’t be his lasting home,” she said. “For us it’s an significant place to go.”

She believes, new interments should stop but says it is premature to exhume current plots. “My preference for now is to do nothing and closely monitor, but an early decision needs to be made when a critical moment has been attained.”

Seeking Answers and Certainty

An absence of agreement over the timing and method to handle the challenge has resulted in bereaved families feeling exasperated and anxious.

Several families want additional coastal protections to delay the unavoidable loss and to permit burials to proceed for now. Others contend the moment for moving graves is drawing near.

“The situation is very emotional,” a family member stated. “The official study was really good, but now there’s uncertainty about how it is implemented. And everybody is washing their hands over who is responsible.”

A coastal manager confirmed the graveyards were owned and managed of the church authorities. “In the end it is down to them to choose the direction to take. Our role is here to help support them through that journey with residents.”

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

“Currently, there exists no common view on what should happen yet. We need good local conversations to find the appropriate answers for each village.”

The prospect of the loss of the churches and graveyards was described as one of “profound sorrow for the local community,” but faith leaders also spoke of a belief in resurrection, providing a theological viewpoint on the physical disappearance of sacred ground.