Relatives' Anguish Over Shoreline Erosion Endangering Norfolk Burial Sites
Loved ones whose relatives laid to rest in graves vulnerable to coastal erosion argue that indecision over how to tackle the issue is creating avoidable anguish about the final resting places of their loved ones.
An Impending Danger to Historic Churchyards
Local authorities have singled out three church graveyards in the villages of Happisburgh, Mundesley, and Trimingham as being at risk of being engulfed by the sea in the next few generations.
A recent report on the issue details a series of possible actions, from taking no action to exhuming remains and reburying them in more secure locations. Authorities maintain it is for local people to determine how to proceed.
“At the moment we’re in limbo. It causes me distress. They intended this to serve as their final resting place, but it won't be because of the encroaching sea.”
Estimates suggest at least a portion of one graveyard could fall into the sea in the next 80 years, but some locals fear it will happen much sooner. “I think it’s got less than 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 largely vanished into the sea, along with its place of worship and burial ground.
“You could see people’s bones,” she said. “Certain people hold this idealized notion that the deceased will just get carried away to the ocean. That is not the case. People will take bones as mementos and go plundering graves looking for treasures. It’s completely disrespectful.”
“I fear that the same thing that befell at Eccles will occur at Happisburgh and there’ll be bones on the shore. I would feel appalled by that.”
A Paratrooper's Resting Place in Peril
Along the coast is situated the grave of a former paratrooper who died while working overseas. His mother said she could not sleep after learning her son’s final plot might one day be moved.
“It does disturb me to consider this may not remain his permanent resting place,” she said. “For us it’s an important place to go.”
She believes, new burials should cease but says it is too soon to exhume existing graves. “What I would choose for now is to take no action and watch carefully, but an early decision must be made when a critical moment has been attained.”
Seeking Answers and Clarity
The lack of consensus over the timing and method to handle the problem has resulted in grieving relatives feeling exasperated and worried.
Several families are calling for additional sea defences to delay the unavoidable loss and to permit burials to proceed for now. Different voices contend the time for moving graves is approaching.
“It is very emotive,” a family member stated. “The council’s report was thorough, but now there’s uncertainty about how it is implemented. And all parties is washing their hands over who is accountable.”
A coastal manager confirmed the burial sites were owned and managed of the local diocese. “In the end it is down to them to choose the direction to take. We are here to assist them through that journey with communities.”
He added there was ample time to consider all the choices. “This concerns decades before it starts to be lost.”
“There is no common view on what should be done yet. We need productive local conversations to find the appropriate solutions for each village.”
The possibility of the loss of the churches and graveyards was labeled one of “profound sadness for the local community,” but faith leaders also referenced a doctrine in resurrection, offering a theological perspective on the physical disappearance of hallowed earth.