Tiny Scots village which 'disappeared in a sandstorm' 300 years ago to be explored in new project

dailyrecord.co.uk:

Historians will explore the legends of a tiny village that disappeared in a sandstorm 300 years ago - amid superstitious claims the disaster was punishment for whisky smuggling.

The history and folklore of Culbin in Moray is to be revisited during a new project led by Robert Gordon University and Moray Libraries.

Culbin disappeared in The Great Sand Drift of 1694 with many superstitions about why tragedy struck the coastal community.Then natural disaster was linked to a divine intervention with some viewing the storm as a possible punishment for whisky smuggling or playing cards on a Sunday.The uprooting of marram grass for thatching and the cutting of coastal turf for fuel in the 17th century caused the sands to start shifting.The storm led to the village being overwhelmed and abandoned.

An exhibition on Culbin will open later this month at Elgin Library, with historians, storytellers and crafts to explore the village that was lost in the storm.