Relatives' Anguish Regarding Coastal Degradation Endangering Coastal Norfolk Burial Sites
Loved ones of people buried in graves at risk from coastal erosion say that a lack of decision on how best to tackle the problem is creating unnecessary distress concerning the eternal homes of their departed family.
A Looming Threat to Historic Graveyards
The council have singled out three church graveyards in the villages of Happisburgh, Trimingham, and Mundesley as being at risk of being engulfed by the sea in the coming decades.
A recent report on the issue details a series of options, from taking no action to exhuming remains and reburying them in more secure locations. Officials say it is for the community to determine how to move forward.
“At the moment we’re in limbo. It causes me distress. They intended this to serve as their final resting place, but it won't 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 residents worry it will happen much sooner. “I think it’s got less than 20 years, if you consider what’s happened in the last 30 years,” a farmer stated.
Troubled by the Ghosts of Eccles
A local business owner recalled a school trip to the nearby village of Eccles, which has largely disappeared into the water, along with its place of worship and burial ground.
“It was possible to see human remains,” she said. “Certain people hold this romantic idea that the deceased will just get washed out to sea. They won’t. Individuals will collect remains as souvenirs and go grave robbing in search of valuables. That is completely disrespectful.”
“I’m worried that the same thing that happened at Eccles will happen here and there’ll be bones on the beach. I would feel appalled by that.”
A Paratrooper's Grave in Jeopardy
Further up the coast is situated the burial plot of a ex-soldier who died while serving overseas. His parent expressed she lost 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. “To our family it’s an important site to visit.”
In her view, new burials should stop but says it is too soon to exhume existing graves. “My preference for now is to do nothing and watch carefully, but an timely resolution must be made when a critical moment has been attained.”
Seeking Answers and Certainty
An absence of agreement over the timing and method to handle the challenge has resulted in grieving relatives feeling exasperated and anxious.
Some want additional sea defences to slow the inevitable erosion and to permit burials to continue for now. Others argue the time for moving graves is approaching.
“The situation is very emotional,” a family member stated. “The official study was really good, but now there’s confusion about how it is implemented. And everybody is washing their hands over who is accountable.”
A coastal manager confirmed the burial sites were under the care of the local diocese. “In the end it is up to them to choose the path to take. We are here to assist them through that process with residents.”
He added there was ample time to consider all the choices. “This concerns many years before it begins getting lost.”
“Currently, there exists no unified opinion on what should happen yet. It requires productive community discussions to find the right solutions for each community.”
The prospect of the loss of the historic sites was described as one of “profound sadness for the area,” but faith leaders also referenced a belief in resurrection, providing a theological viewpoint on the temporal loss of hallowed earth.