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Families of people laid to rest in graves vulnerable to coastal erosion say that a lack of decision over how to address the problem is causing them unnecessary distress about the eternal homes of their loved ones.

An Impending Danger to Ancient Graveyards

The council have singled out three church graveyards 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 taking no action to exhuming remains and reburying them in more secure sites. Officials say it is for local people to decide how to proceed.

“Right now we’re in a state of uncertainty. It upsets me. My parents wanted this to serve as their last home, but it isn’t going to be because of the encroaching sea.”

Estimates 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 far earlier. “I think it’s got less than 20 years, if you consider what’s occurred 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 largely vanished into the water, along with its church and graveyard.

“It was possible to see people’s bones,” she said. “Some have this idealized notion that people’s remains will just get carried away to sea. They won’t. Individuals will collect remains as souvenirs and go plundering graves 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 Soldier's Resting Place in Peril

Further up the coast is situated the burial plot of a ex-soldier who died while serving overseas. His mother expressed she lost sleep after discovering her child's grave might one day be moved.

“It does disturb me to consider this won’t be his lasting resting place,” she said. “For us it’s an significant site to visit.”

In her view, new burials should cease but says it is premature to exhume existing graves. “My preference for now is to take no action and watch carefully, but an timely resolution needs to be made when a tipping point has been reached.”

Seeking Answers and Clarity

An absence of consensus over the timing and method to tackle the problem has resulted in grieving relatives feeling frustrated and worried.

Several families want more coastal protections to delay the unavoidable loss and to permit funerals to proceed for now. Others contend the moment for relocation is approaching.

“The situation is very emotive,” said one relative. “The official study was thorough, but now there’s confusion about how it is taken forward. And all parties is avoiding responsibility over who is responsible.”

A coastal manager said the burial sites were owned and managed of the local diocese. “In the end it is up to them to decide the direction to take. Our role is here to assist them through that journey with communities.”

He added there was time to weigh all the choices. “This concerns many years before it starts to be lost.”

“Currently, there exists no unified opinion on what should be done yet. We need good local conversations to discover the right answers for each community.”

The possibility of losing the historic sites was labeled one of “profound sorrow for the area,” but church representatives also spoke of a doctrine in life after death, offering a theological viewpoint on the temporal loss of sacred ground.