Families' Distress Over Coastal Erosion Endangering Coastal Norfolk Burial Sites
Loved ones whose relatives buried in resting places vulnerable to shoreline retreat say that indecision over how to address the problem is causing them avoidable anguish concerning the final resting places of their departed family.
A Looming Threat to Historic Graveyards
The council have identified three burial grounds in the villages of Happisburgh, Trimingham, and Mundesley as being at risk of being swallowed by the sea in the coming decades.
A recent report on the issue sets out a series of options, from doing nothing to disinterring bodies and relocating them in more secure locations. Authorities maintain it is for local people to decide how to proceed.
“At the moment we’re in a state of uncertainty. It causes me distress. My parents intended this to be their last home, but it isn’t going to be because of the sea.”
Projections suggest at least part of one churchyard could be claimed by the sea 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,” a farmer stated.
Troubled by the Past
A local business owner recalled a childhood visit to the neighbouring settlement of Eccles, which has largely disappeared into the sea, including its church and graveyard.
“You could see human remains,” she said. “Some have this romantic idea that people’s remains will just get washed out to sea. They won’t. Individuals will take bones as souvenirs and go plundering graves in search of treasures. It’s completely undignified.”
“I’m worried that the identical fate that happened at Eccles will happen at Happisburgh and there’ll be skeletons on the shore. I would feel appalled by that.”
A Soldier's Grave in Peril
Along the shoreline lies the grave of a ex-soldier who died while serving overseas. His parent expressed she could not sleep after discovering her son’s grave might one day be moved.
“It does disturb me to think this won’t be his lasting resting place,” she said. “To our family it’s an important place to go.”
She believes, new interments should stop but says it is premature to disturb existing graves. “What I would choose for now is to do nothing and watch carefully, but an early decision needs to be made when a tipping point has been reached.”
Searching for Solutions and Clarity
The lack of consensus over when and how to handle the problem has resulted in grieving relatives feeling frustrated and worried.
Several families are calling for additional coastal protections to delay the unavoidable loss and to allow burials to proceed for now. Others contend the time for relocation is drawing near.
“It is very emotive,” a family member stated. “The official study was really good, but now there’s uncertainty about how it is implemented. And everybody is avoiding responsibility over who is accountable.”
A coastal manager confirmed the graveyards were under the care of the church authorities. “In the end it is down to them to decide the path to take. We are here to assist them through that process with residents.”
It was also stated there was time to consider all the choices. “This concerns many years before it starts to be lost.”
“There is no unified opinion on what should happen yet. We need productive community discussions to discover the appropriate solutions for each village.”
The prospect of the loss of the historic sites was labeled one of “immense sadness for the local community,” but faith leaders also spoke of a doctrine in resurrection, offering a theological viewpoint on the temporal loss of hallowed earth.