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Families of people buried in graves vulnerable to shoreline retreat say that a lack of decision on how best to address the problem is creating unnecessary distress concerning the eternal homes of their departed family.

A Looming Danger to Historic Churchyards

Local authorities have singled out three church graveyards in the communities of Happisburgh, Trimingham, and Mundesley as being in danger of being swallowed by the ocean in the next few generations.

A newly published study on the issue details a range of options, from doing nothing to disinterring bodies and reburying them in safer locations. Authorities maintain it is for local people to determine how to move forward.

“Right now we’re in limbo. It causes me distress. My parents intended this to be their last home, but it won't be because of the sea.”

Projections suggest 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 occurred in the last 30 years,” a farmer stated.

Haunted by the Past

A local business owner remembered a childhood visit to the nearby settlement of Eccles, which has almost entirely vanished into the sea, along with its place of worship and burial ground.

“It was possible to see people’s bones,” she said. “Some have this idealized notion that people’s remains will just get washed out to sea. They won’t. People will collect remains as mementos and go plundering graves in search of treasures. It’s completely disrespectful.”

“I’m worried that the identical fate that happened at Eccles will happen at Happisburgh and there’ll be skeletons on the beach. I’d be disgusted by that.”

A Paratrooper's Resting Place in Peril

Further up the shoreline lies the grave of a ex-soldier who died while working overseas. His parent said she could not sleep after discovering her son’s grave might one day be moved.

“It does disturb me to think this won’t be his lasting resting place,” she said. “To our family it’s an important place to go.”

She believes, new burials should cease but says it is premature to exhume current plots. “What I would choose for now is to take no action and watch carefully, but an timely resolution needs to be made when a critical moment has been reached.”

Seeking Answers and Certainty

The lack of consensus over the timing and method to handle the problem has resulted in grieving relatives feeling exasperated and worried.

Some want additional coastal protections to slow the inevitable erosion and to allow burials to proceed for now. Others contend the time for relocation is drawing near.

“It is very emotional,” a family member stated. “The council’s report was really good, but now there’s uncertainty about how it is taken forward. And all parties is washing their hands over who is responsible.”

A local official confirmed the graveyards were under the care of the local diocese. “Ultimately it is up to them to decide 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 consider all the options. “We are talking many years before it starts to be lost.”

“There is no unified opinion on what should happen yet. We need productive local conversations to discover the appropriate answers for each community.”

The possibility of the loss of the historic sites was described as one of “profound sorrow for the area,” but faith leaders also referenced a doctrine in resurrection, providing a spiritual viewpoint on the physical loss of hallowed earth.