Relatives' Anguish Over Coastal Erosion Endangering Norfolk Burial Sites
Loved ones whose relatives laid to rest in resting places at risk from coastal erosion argue that indecision on how best to address the problem is causing them unnecessary distress about the eternal homes of their loved ones.
An Impending Danger to Historic Graveyards
Local authorities have identified three burial grounds in the villages of Happisburgh, Mundesley, and Trimingham as being at risk of being engulfed by the ocean in the next few generations.
A recent report on the issue sets out a series of options, from doing nothing to disinterring bodies and relocating them in more secure locations. Officials say it is for the community to decide how to proceed.
“At the moment we’re in limbo. It upsets me. They intended this to serve as their last home, but it won't be because of the encroaching sea.”
Estimates indicate at least a portion of one graveyard could be claimed by the sea in the next 80 years, but some locals fear it will happen much sooner. “In my view it’s got less than 20 years, if you consider what’s happened in the last 30 years,” one said.
Haunted by the Past
A local business owner remembered a childhood visit to the neighbouring village of Eccles, which has almost entirely disappeared into the water, including its place of worship and burial ground.
“You could see human remains,” she said. “Certain people hold this idealized notion that the deceased will just get carried away to sea. They won’t. Individuals will collect remains as mementos and go grave robbing in search of treasures. It’s completely disrespectful.”
“I fear that the same thing that befell at Eccles will happen here and there’ll be skeletons on the shore. I’d be appalled by that.”
A Soldier's Resting Place in Peril
Along the shoreline is situated the burial plot of a former paratrooper who died while serving abroad. His parent said she could not sleep after learning her son’s final plot might one day be moved.
“It does trouble me to consider this won’t be his permanent home,” she said. “To our family it’s an significant site to visit.”
She believes, new burials should cease but says it is premature to disturb existing graves. “What I would choose for now is to take no action and watch carefully, but an timely resolution must be made when a tipping point has been reached.”
Seeking Answers and Certainty
An absence of consensus over the timing and method to tackle the problem has resulted in grieving relatives feeling exasperated and anxious.
Some are calling for additional coastal protections to delay the inevitable erosion and to permit burials to continue for now. Different voices contend the moment for relocation is approaching.
“It is very emotive,” a family member stated. “The official study was thorough, but now there’s confusion about how it is implemented. And everybody is washing their hands over who is accountable.”
A local official said the graveyards were owned and managed of the church authorities. “Ultimately it is up to them to choose the path to take. Our role is here to help support them through that process with communities.”
It was also stated there was ample time to weigh all the options. “This concerns decades 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 solutions for each community.”
The prospect of losing the churches and graveyards was described as one of “immense sadness for the local community,” but faith leaders also spoke of a belief in life after death, providing a theological viewpoint on the temporal loss of hallowed earth.
