Families' Distress Over Coastal Erosion Endangering Coastal Norfolk Graves
Families of people laid to rest in resting places at risk from coastal erosion state that a lack of decision over how to tackle the problem is creating avoidable anguish concerning the final resting places of their departed family.
A Looming Threat to Ancient Graveyards
Local authorities have identified three burial grounds in the communities of Happisburgh, Mundesley, and Trimingham as being in danger of being swallowed by the sea in the next few generations.
A newly published study on the issue sets out a series of possible actions, from taking no action to disinterring bodies and reburying them in safer locations. Authorities maintain it is for local people to decide 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 isn’t going to be because of the encroaching sea.”
Projections indicate at least part of one churchyard could be claimed by the waves in the next 80 years, but some locals fear it will happen much sooner. “In my view it’s got less than 20 years, if you look at what’s happened in the last 30 years,” one said.
Troubled by the Ghosts of Eccles
One resident remembered a childhood visit to the neighbouring settlement of Eccles, which has almost entirely vanished into the water, including its church and graveyard.
“It was possible to see human remains,” she said. “Certain people hold this idealized notion that people’s remains will just get washed out to sea. That is not the case. People will collect remains as mementos and go plundering graves looking for treasures. That is completely undignified.”
“I fear that the identical fate that happened at Eccles will happen at Happisburgh and there’ll be skeletons on the shore. I would feel disgusted by that.”
A Soldier's Grave in Peril
Along the shoreline is situated the grave of a ex-soldier who died while working abroad. His mother said she could not sleep after discovering her son’s final plot might one day be relocated.
“It truly disturb me to think this won’t be his permanent home,” she said. “To our family it’s an important place to go.”
She believes, new interments should cease but says it is too soon to exhume existing graves. “My preference for now is to do nothing and watch carefully, but an early decision needs to be made when a critical moment has been reached.”
Searching for Solutions and Certainty
The lack of agreement over the timing and method to tackle the challenge has left bereaved families feeling exasperated and anxious.
Several families want additional coastal protections to delay the inevitable erosion and to allow burials to continue for now. Different voices contend the moment for relocation is approaching.
“It is very emotive,” said one relative. “The council’s report was really good, but now there’s uncertainty about how it is implemented. And everybody is avoiding responsibility over who is responsible.”
A coastal manager confirmed the graveyards were under the care of the local diocese. “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 ample time to weigh all the options. “This concerns many years before it starts to be lost.”
“There is no unified opinion on what should happen yet. We need good local conversations to discover the right answers for each community.”
The possibility of the loss of the churches and graveyards was described as one of “immense sadness for the area,” but faith leaders also referenced a doctrine in resurrection, offering a spiritual viewpoint on the temporal loss of hallowed earth.