Relatives' Distress Regarding Shoreline Erosion Threatening Coastal Norfolk Burial Sites
Families whose relatives buried in resting places at risk from shoreline retreat argue that indecision over how to address the problem is creating avoidable anguish about the final resting places of their departed family.
A Looming Danger to Historic Churchyards
The council have singled out three burial grounds in the villages of Happisburgh, Mundesley, and Trimingham as being at risk of being consumed by the ocean in the coming decades.
A recent report on the situation details a series of options, from taking no action to disinterring bodies and reburying them in safer sites. Officials say it is for the community to determine how to proceed.
“At the moment we’re in a state of uncertainty. It causes me distress. They wanted this to be their final resting place, but it isn’t going to be because of the sea.”
Estimates indicate at least part of one churchyard could fall into the sea 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 look at what’s happened in the last 30 years,” a farmer stated.
Haunted by the Ghosts of Eccles
One resident remembered a school trip to the neighbouring village of Eccles, which has largely vanished into the water, including its place of worship and burial ground.
“It was possible to see human remains,” she said. “Some have this romantic idea that people’s remains will just get washed out to the ocean. They won’t. People will collect remains as souvenirs and go plundering graves looking for treasures. That is completely undignified.”
“I’m worried that the same thing that happened at Eccles will occur here and there’ll be skeletons on the beach. I’d be disgusted by that.”
A Soldier's Resting Place in Peril
Further up the shoreline is situated the grave of a former paratrooper killed while working overseas. His mother said 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 home,” she said. “For us it’s an significant site to visit.”
She believes, new burials should stop but says it is premature to disturb current plots. “My preference for now is to take no action and closely monitor, but an early decision must be made when a tipping point has been attained.”
Seeking Answers and Clarity
The lack of consensus over when and how to tackle the problem has resulted in bereaved families feeling frustrated and anxious.
Several families are calling for additional coastal protections to delay the inevitable erosion and to allow funerals 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 thorough, but now there’s confusion about how it is implemented. And all parties is avoiding responsibility over who is responsible.”
A coastal manager said the burial sites were under the care of the local diocese. “In the end it is up to them to choose the direction to take. We are here to assist them through that journey with communities.”
He added there was time to consider all the choices. “This concerns many years before it begins getting lost.”
“Currently, there exists no common view on what should happen yet. We need good community discussions to discover the appropriate answers for each village.”
The possibility of the loss of the historic sites was labeled one of “immense sadness for the local community,” but faith leaders also referenced a belief in life after death, offering a theological viewpoint on the temporal loss of hallowed earth.