Families' Anguish Regarding Shoreline Degradation Threatening Coastal Norfolk Burial Sites
Families whose relatives buried in graves vulnerable to shoreline retreat argue that a lack of decision over how to address the problem is causing them avoidable anguish concerning the eternal homes of their departed family.
An Impending Danger to Ancient Churchyards
The council have identified three church graveyards in the communities of Happisburgh, Trimingham, and Mundesley as being in danger of being consumed by the sea in the next few generations.
A newly published study on the situation sets out a range of options, from doing nothing to disinterring bodies and relocating them in more secure sites. Officials say it is for local people to determine how to move forward.
“Right now we’re in limbo. It causes me distress. They wanted this to be their final resting place, but it won't be because of the sea.”
Projections indicate at least part of one graveyard could fall into the sea in the next 80 years, but some locals worry it will happen far earlier. “I think it’s got under 20 years, if you look at what’s occurred in the last 30 years,” a farmer stated.
Haunted by the Past
One resident remembered a school trip to the nearby settlement of Eccles, which has almost entirely disappeared into the water, including its church and graveyard.
“You could see human remains,” she said. “Some have this romantic idea that the deceased will just get carried away to sea. That is not the case. People will collect remains as souvenirs and go grave robbing looking for valuables. That is completely undignified.”
“I’m worried that the same thing that befell at Eccles will happen at Happisburgh and there’ll be skeletons on the shore. I would feel appalled by that.”
A Paratrooper's Grave in Peril
Along the coast lies the burial plot of a former paratrooper who died while serving overseas. His mother said she lost sleep after discovering her child's grave might one day be relocated.
“It does disturb me to think this won’t be his permanent home,” she said. “For us it’s an significant place to go.”
She believes, new interments should cease but says it is premature to exhume current plots. “What I would choose 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.”
Searching for Answers and Certainty
The lack of agreement over when and how to handle the challenge has left grieving relatives feeling frustrated and anxious.
Some want more coastal protections to slow the inevitable erosion and to permit burials to proceed for now. Different voices contend the time for relocation 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 all parties is washing their hands over who is accountable.”
A coastal manager said the graveyards 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 process with residents.”
He added there was time to weigh all the options. “We are talking many years before it starts to be lost.”
“There is no common view on what should be done yet. We need good community discussions to find the appropriate answers for each community.”
The prospect of the loss of the churches and graveyards was labeled one of “immense sorrow for the local community,” but faith leaders also referenced a belief in resurrection, providing a spiritual perspective on the physical disappearance of hallowed earth.