Relatives' Distress Regarding Coastal Erosion Endangering Norfolk Burial Sites
Families whose relatives laid to rest in resting places at risk from shoreline retreat state that indecision on how best to tackle the issue is creating unnecessary distress about the eternal homes of their departed family.
An Impending Danger to Ancient Churchyards
Local authorities have singled out three church graveyards in the communities of Happisburgh, Mundesley, and Trimingham as being in danger of being engulfed by the sea in the next few generations.
A recent report on the situation sets out a range of possible actions, from taking no action to disinterring bodies and relocating them in safer sites. Authorities say it is for local people to decide how to move forward.
“At the moment we’re in limbo. It causes me distress. They wanted this to be their last home, but it won't be because of the encroaching sea.”
Projections suggest 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 under 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 recalled a childhood visit to the neighbouring village of Eccles, which has largely vanished into the water, including its church and graveyard.
“You could see people’s bones,” she said. “Certain people hold this idealized notion that the deceased will just get carried away to sea. They won’t. People will take bones as mementos and go plundering graves in search of valuables. That is completely disrespectful.”
“I’m worried that the identical fate that befell at Eccles will happen here and there’ll be skeletons on the beach. I’d be appalled by that.”
A Soldier's Resting Place in Jeopardy
Further up the shoreline lies the grave of a ex-soldier who died while serving abroad. His mother expressed she lost sleep after discovering her son’s grave might one day be relocated.
“It truly disturb me to consider this may not remain his lasting resting place,” she said. “For us it’s an important place to go.”
She believes, new burials should cease but says it is premature to exhume current plots. “My preference for now is to take no action and watch carefully, but an early decision needs to be made when a tipping point has been attained.”
Seeking Solutions and Certainty
The lack of agreement over when and how to tackle the problem has left grieving relatives feeling frustrated and anxious.
Several families want additional sea defences to slow the inevitable erosion and to permit funerals to proceed for now. Others contend the moment for moving graves is drawing near.
“It is very emotional,” said one relative. “The official study was thorough, but now there’s confusion about how it is implemented. And everybody is avoiding responsibility over who is accountable.”
A coastal manager said the graveyards were owned and managed of the church authorities. “Ultimately it is down to them to decide the path to take. We are here to help support them through that process with communities.”
It was also stated there was time to weigh all the choices. “This concerns many years before it starts to be lost.”
“Currently, there exists no unified opinion on what should be done yet. We need productive local conversations to find the right answers for each community.”
The prospect of the loss of the historic sites was described as one of “profound sadness for the area,” but church representatives also spoke of a doctrine in life after death, offering a spiritual perspective on the temporal loss of sacred ground.