Families' Heartache Regarding Coastal Degradation Threatening Coastal Norfolk Burial Sites
Families of people buried in graves vulnerable to coastal erosion state that indecision on how best to tackle the issue is causing them unnecessary distress concerning the final resting places of their departed family.
An Impending Threat to Historic Churchyards
The council have identified three burial grounds in the villages of Happisburgh, Mundesley, and Trimingham as being in danger of being engulfed by the ocean in the next few generations.
A recent report on the issue sets out a range of options, from doing nothing to disinterring bodies and reburying them in more secure locations. Authorities maintain it is for local people to decide how to move forward.
“Right now we’re in a state of uncertainty. It causes me distress. My parents wanted this to be their final resting place, but it isn’t going to be because of the encroaching sea.”
Estimates suggest at least part of one graveyard could be claimed by the waves in the next 80 years, but some locals worry it will happen much sooner. “I think it’s got under 20 years, if you consider what’s happened in the last 30 years,” one said.
Haunted by the Ghosts of Eccles
One resident remembered a school trip to the neighbouring settlement of Eccles, which has almost entirely vanished into the sea, including its place of worship and burial ground.
“You could see people’s bones,” she said. “Certain people hold this idealized notion that people’s remains will just get carried away to the ocean. They won’t. People will collect remains as souvenirs and go plundering graves looking for treasures. That is completely disrespectful.”
“I’m worried that the same thing that befell at Eccles will occur here and there’ll be skeletons on the shore. I would feel appalled by that.”
A Soldier's Grave in Jeopardy
Along the shoreline lies the grave of a former paratrooper killed while serving abroad. His mother said she lost sleep after learning her child's grave might one day be relocated.
“It truly trouble me to consider this won’t be his permanent home,” she said. “For us it’s an important place to go.”
She believes, new burials should cease but says it is too soon to disturb existing graves. “My preference for now is to do nothing and closely monitor, but an early decision must be made when a tipping point has been attained.”
Searching for Solutions and Clarity
The lack of agreement over the timing and method to tackle the problem has left grieving relatives feeling frustrated and anxious.
Several families want additional coastal protections to slow the unavoidable loss and to allow funerals to proceed for now. Different voices contend the time for relocation 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 all parties is washing their hands over who is accountable.”
A coastal manager said the graveyards were under the care of the church authorities. “Ultimately it is down to them to choose the path to take. We are here to assist them through that process with residents.”
He added there was ample time to weigh all the choices. “This concerns many years before it begins getting lost.”
“Currently, there exists no unified opinion on what should be done yet. We need productive community discussions to discover the right answers for each community.”
The prospect of losing the churches and graveyards was labeled one of “profound sadness for the local community,” but faith leaders also spoke of a doctrine in resurrection, offering a spiritual viewpoint on the temporal disappearance of sacred ground.
