🔗 Share this article

Loved ones of people buried in graves vulnerable to shoreline retreat argue that indecision over how to address the problem is creating avoidable anguish about the final resting places of their loved ones.

A Looming Threat to Ancient Graveyards

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

A newly published study on the situation sets out a series of options, from taking no action to disinterring bodies and relocating them in safer locations. Authorities say it is for local people to determine how to proceed.

“At the moment we’re in a state of uncertainty. 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 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 look at what’s happened in the last 30 years,” one said.

Troubled by the Past

One resident remembered a childhood visit to the neighbouring village of Eccles, which has largely vanished into the sea, including its church and graveyard.

“It was possible to see people’s bones,” she said. “Some have this romantic idea that the deceased will just get washed out to sea. That is not the case. People will take bones as mementos and go plundering graves in search of valuables. It’s completely disrespectful.”

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

A Paratrooper's Grave in Peril

Along the shoreline lies the grave of a former paratrooper killed while serving abroad. His parent expressed she lost sleep after discovering her son’s grave might one day be moved.

“It does trouble me to consider this may not remain his permanent home,” she said. “For us it’s an important site to visit.”

She believes, new burials should cease but says it is premature to exhume existing graves. “My preference for now is to do nothing and watch carefully, but an early decision must be made when a tipping point has been attained.”

Seeking Solutions and Clarity

The lack of consensus over when and how to handle the problem has resulted in bereaved families feeling exasperated and worried.

Several families want additional sea defences to slow the unavoidable loss and to allow funerals to continue for now. Different voices contend the time for moving graves is approaching.

“The situation is very emotive,” said one relative. “The council’s report was thorough, but now there’s confusion about how it is implemented. And everybody is avoiding responsibility over who is accountable.”

A coastal manager said the burial sites were owned and managed of the church authorities. “In the end it is down to them to choose the direction to take. We are here to help support them through that process with communities.”

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

“There is no common view on what should happen yet. We need good local conversations to discover the right answers for each village.”

The possibility of the loss of the historic sites was described as one of “immense sorrow for the area,” but church representatives also referenced a belief in resurrection, providing a spiritual perspective on the temporal disappearance of sacred ground.