Relatives' Distress Over Coastal Degradation Endangering Norfolk Graves
Families whose relatives laid to rest in resting places vulnerable to coastal erosion argue that indecision over how to tackle the issue is creating avoidable anguish concerning the eternal homes of their loved ones.
An Impending Threat to Historic Churchyards
Local authorities have singled out three burial grounds in the villages of Happisburgh, Trimingham, and Mundesley as being in danger of being swallowed by the ocean in the coming decades.
A recent report on the situation sets out a range of possible actions, from taking no action to exhuming remains and reburying them in safer locations. Officials maintain 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 a portion of one churchyard could be claimed by 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 consider what’s occurred in the last 30 years,” one said.
Haunted by the Past
A local business owner recalled a childhood visit to the nearby settlement of Eccles, which has largely disappeared into the water, including its church and graveyard.
“You could see human remains,” she said. “Certain people hold this idealized notion that the deceased will just get carried away to the ocean. That is not the case. Individuals will take bones as mementos and go grave robbing in search of treasures. That is completely undignified.”
“I’m worried 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 Resting Place in Jeopardy
Further up the coast is situated the grave of a former paratrooper killed while working overseas. His parent expressed she lost sleep after discovering her son’s grave might one day be relocated.
“It truly disturb me to think this won’t be his lasting home,” she said. “For us it’s an significant place to go.”
In her view, new burials should cease but says it is too soon to exhume existing graves. “My preference for now is to take no action and closely monitor, but an early decision needs to be made when a tipping point has been attained.”
Seeking Solutions and Clarity
An absence of consensus over the timing and method to handle the challenge has left bereaved families feeling exasperated and worried.
Several families want additional sea defences to delay the unavoidable loss and to permit funerals to proceed for now. Others argue the moment for moving graves is approaching.
“The situation is very emotive,” said one relative. “The council’s report was really good, but now there’s confusion about how it is taken forward. And all parties is avoiding responsibility over who is accountable.”
A coastal manager said the graveyards were under the care of the church authorities. “Ultimately it is up to them to choose the path to take. We are here to help support them through that process with communities.”
He added there was time to consider all the choices. “We are talking decades before it begins getting lost.”
“There is no unified opinion on what should happen yet. It requires good community discussions to discover the appropriate answers for each community.”
The possibility of the loss of the historic sites was labeled one of “profound sadness for the local community,” but church representatives also spoke of a doctrine in resurrection, providing a theological perspective on the temporal disappearance of hallowed earth.
