Families' Heartache Over Coastal Degradation Threatening Norfolk Graves
Loved ones of people laid to rest in graves vulnerable to coastal erosion argue that a lack of decision over how to tackle the issue is creating unnecessary distress about the eternal homes of their loved ones.
A Looming Danger to Ancient Churchyards
Local authorities have singled out 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 situation details a series of options, from doing nothing to disinterring bodies and relocating them in more secure sites. Authorities say it is for local people to decide how to proceed.
“At the moment we’re in limbo. It upsets me. My parents wanted this to be their final resting place, but it isn’t going to be because of the encroaching sea.”
Estimates indicate at least a portion of one graveyard could fall into 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 occurred in the last 30 years,” one said.
Troubled by the Past
One resident recalled a school trip to the nearby village of Eccles, which has almost entirely disappeared into the water, including its church and graveyard.
“You could 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 take bones as souvenirs and go plundering graves looking for valuables. That is completely undignified.”
“I’m worried that the identical fate 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 Resting Place in Peril
Along the coast lies the grave of a ex-soldier who died while serving abroad. His mother said she lost sleep after discovering her son’s grave might one day be moved.
“It does disturb me to consider this won’t be his lasting resting place,” she said. “For us it’s an important site to visit.”
She believes, new burials should stop but says it is premature to exhume existing graves. “My preference for now is to take no action and watch carefully, but an timely resolution must be made when a critical moment has been reached.”
Searching for Answers and Certainty
An absence of agreement over the timing and method to handle the problem has resulted in grieving relatives feeling frustrated and anxious.
Several families want more sea defences to slow the inevitable erosion and to permit funerals to continue for now. Others contend the moment for relocation is approaching.
“The situation is very emotional,” a family member stated. “The council’s report was thorough, but now there’s confusion about how it is taken forward. And everybody is avoiding responsibility over who is responsible.”
A coastal manager said the burial sites were owned and managed of the church authorities. “In the end it is up to them to decide the path to take. We are here to assist them through that process with residents.”
He added there was time to consider all the choices. “This concerns decades before it starts to be lost.”
“Currently, there exists no common view on what should be done yet. It requires good local conversations to discover the appropriate solutions for each village.”
The prospect of the loss of the churches and graveyards was described as one of “immense sadness for the area,” but faith leaders also referenced a belief in resurrection, providing a theological viewpoint on the physical disappearance of hallowed earth.