Families' Heartache Over Coastal Erosion Threatening Norfolk Burial Sites
Loved ones whose relatives buried in graves at risk from shoreline retreat argue that a lack of decision on how best to tackle the issue is causing them avoidable anguish about the eternal homes of their loved ones.
An Impending Threat to Historic Graveyards
The council have singled out three burial grounds in the communities of Happisburgh, Trimingham, and Mundesley as being in danger of being swallowed by the ocean in the coming decades.
A recent report on the issue sets out a series of possible actions, from taking no action to disinterring bodies and reburying them in more secure sites. Officials say it is for local people to determine how to move forward.
“At the moment we’re in limbo. It causes me distress. My parents wanted this to be their final resting place, but it won't be because of the sea.”
Projections suggest at least part of one churchyard could fall into the waves in the next 80 years, but some residents fear it will happen much sooner. “In my view it’s got less than 20 years, if you consider what’s happened in the last 30 years,” a farmer stated.
Troubled by the Past
A local business owner remembered a school trip to the neighbouring settlement of Eccles, which has almost entirely vanished into the sea, along with its place of worship and burial ground.
“It was possible to see people’s bones,” she said. “Some have this romantic idea that the deceased will just get washed out to the ocean. That is not the case. People will take bones as souvenirs and go plundering graves in search of valuables. It’s completely undignified.”
“I’m worried that the identical fate that befell at Eccles will happen here and there’ll be skeletons on the shore. I would feel disgusted by that.”
A Paratrooper's Grave in Jeopardy
Further up the coast is situated the grave of a former paratrooper killed while working abroad. His parent expressed she lost sleep after learning her son’s final plot might one day be relocated.
“It truly disturb me to consider this may not remain his lasting resting place,” she said. “To our family it’s an significant site to visit.”
She believes, new burials should stop but says it is too soon to exhume current plots. “What I would choose for now is to do nothing and watch carefully, but an early decision must be made when a critical moment has been attained.”
Seeking Answers and Certainty
An absence of consensus over when and how to tackle the problem has left bereaved families feeling frustrated and anxious.
Some want more sea defences to slow the inevitable erosion and to allow funerals to proceed for now. Others argue the time for relocation is drawing near.
“It is very emotional,” said one relative. “The official study was really good, but now there’s confusion about how it is implemented. And all parties is avoiding responsibility over who is accountable.”
A local official said the burial sites were under the care of the church authorities. “Ultimately it is up to them to decide the direction to take. We are here to help support them through that process with residents.”
It was also stated there was ample time to weigh all the options. “We are talking decades before it begins getting lost.”
“Currently, there exists no unified opinion on what should happen yet. It requires good community discussions to discover the appropriate solutions for each community.”
The prospect of the loss of the churches and graveyards was labeled one of “immense sadness for the local community,” but faith leaders also spoke of a doctrine in resurrection, offering a spiritual perspective on the physical loss of hallowed earth.