Families' Anguish Over Shoreline Erosion Endangering Norfolk Graves
Loved ones whose relatives buried in resting places vulnerable to coastal erosion say that a lack of decision on how best to tackle the problem is creating avoidable anguish concerning the final resting places of their loved ones.
An Impending Threat to Historic Churchyards
The council have identified three burial grounds in the communities of Happisburgh, Mundesley, and Trimingham as being at risk of being engulfed by the sea in the next few generations.
A newly published study on the issue sets out a series of possible actions, from doing nothing to disinterring bodies and reburying them in more secure locations. Authorities say it is for the community to decide how to proceed.
“Right now we’re in a state of uncertainty. It causes me distress. They intended this to be their final resting place, but it isn’t going to be because of the sea.”
Estimates suggest at least a portion of one churchyard could fall into the sea in the next 80 years, but some residents worry it will happen much sooner. “I think it’s got under 20 years, if you look at what’s occurred in the last 30 years,” one said.
Haunted by the Past
A local business owner remembered a school trip to the nearby settlement of Eccles, which has almost entirely disappeared into the sea, along with its church and graveyard.
“You could see human remains,” she said. “Some have this romantic idea that the deceased will just get washed out to sea. They won’t. Individuals will take bones as souvenirs and go plundering graves looking for valuables. That is completely disrespectful.”
“I’m worried that the same thing that happened at Eccles will happen at Happisburgh and there’ll be skeletons on the shore. I’d be appalled by that.”
A Soldier's Grave in Peril
Further up the shoreline is situated the burial plot of a former paratrooper who died while working overseas. His parent expressed she could not sleep after discovering her child's grave might one day be moved.
“It truly trouble me to consider this won’t be his permanent home,” she said. “To our family it’s an important place to go.”
In her view, new burials should cease but says it is too soon to disturb current plots. “My preference for now is to do nothing and closely monitor, but an early decision needs to be made when a tipping point has been attained.”
Searching for Solutions and Certainty
An absence of agreement over the timing and method to handle the challenge has left grieving relatives feeling exasperated and anxious.
Several families are calling for additional coastal protections to delay the inevitable erosion and to allow funerals to continue for now. Others argue the moment for relocation is approaching.
“The situation is very emotive,” a family member stated. “The official study was really good, but now there’s confusion about how it is taken forward. And all parties is washing their hands over who is accountable.”
A local official confirmed the graveyards were owned and managed of the local diocese. “Ultimately it is up to them to choose the direction to take. Our role is here to assist them through that journey with residents.”
It was also stated there was ample time to weigh all the choices. “We are talking decades before it begins getting lost.”
“Currently, there exists no unified opinion on what should happen yet. We need productive community discussions to find the right answers for each community.”
The possibility of losing the churches and graveyards was described as one of “immense sorrow for the area,” but faith leaders also referenced a doctrine in resurrection, providing a spiritual viewpoint on the temporal loss of sacred ground.