Relatives' Heartache Over Coastal Erosion Threatening Coastal Norfolk Graves
Loved ones of people laid to rest in resting places at risk from shoreline retreat say that indecision over how to address the problem is creating unnecessary distress concerning the final resting places of their loved ones.
A Looming Danger to Historic Churchyards
Local authorities have singled out three burial grounds in the communities of Happisburgh, Trimingham, and Mundesley as being in danger of being engulfed by the ocean 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 relocating them in more secure locations. Authorities say it is for local people to decide how to move forward.
“At the moment we’re in a state of uncertainty. It upsets me. My parents wanted this to be their last home, but it isn’t going to be because of the sea.”
Projections suggest at least a portion of one graveyard could be claimed by the waves in the next 80 years, but some locals worry it will happen far earlier. “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 Past
A local business owner recalled a childhood visit to the neighbouring village of Eccles, which has almost entirely vanished into the water, along with 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. They won’t. Individuals will collect remains as souvenirs and go grave robbing in search of valuables. It’s completely undignified.”
“I’m worried that the same thing that happened at Eccles will occur at Happisburgh and there’ll be skeletons on the shore. I would feel appalled by that.”
A Paratrooper's Grave in Peril
Along the shoreline lies the burial plot of a ex-soldier killed while working overseas. His mother expressed she could not sleep after discovering her son’s grave might one day be relocated.
“It does trouble me to consider this won’t be his lasting resting place,” she said. “For us it’s an important place to go.”
She believes, new interments should cease but says it is premature to disturb current plots. “My preference for now is to do nothing and closely monitor, but an early decision must be made when a critical moment has been reached.”
Seeking Answers and Clarity
An absence of agreement over the timing and method to handle the challenge has resulted in grieving relatives feeling frustrated and worried.
Several families want additional coastal protections to slow the unavoidable loss and to permit funerals to continue for now. Different voices argue the moment for relocation is drawing near.
“It is very emotional,” said one relative. “The official study was thorough, but now there’s uncertainty 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. “In the end it is down to them to decide the path to take. We are here to assist them through that process with communities.”
He added there was ample time to consider all the choices. “This concerns decades before it begins getting lost.”
“There is no unified opinion on what should be done yet. We need productive community discussions to discover the appropriate solutions for each community.”
The prospect of the loss of the historic sites was described as one of “immense sadness for the area,” but church representatives also referenced a belief in resurrection, providing a spiritual viewpoint on the physical loss of hallowed earth.