The Culbin: the disappeared village project, was a collaboration between Robert Gordon University and Moray Council Libraries and Information Services. Funded by Museums Galleries Scotland and the National Lottery Heritage Fund as part of Scotland’s Year of Stories 2022, it uncovered, retold and celebrated the stories of Culbin, and the Great Sand Drift of 1694, through an exhibition and website.  

The stories of Culbin exist in many forms. There are environmental, maritime, and coastal aspects as well as the history, heritage, and legends. Some of these are found in library archives and newspapers, some can be sourced online, and many are embedded in the local community, their memories and personal histories.  

To collect stories for this project the research team collaborated with Elgin Library to fund a member of staff to carry out archival research. This unearthed a plethora of newspaper clippings, extracts from books, pamphlets, maps, letters and images that became integral to sharing the history and heritage of the place. To compliment this, the team also wanted to source contemporary stories, memories and reflections from local communities. This was achieved by setting up a website with a story submission form – using Weebly – and sharing this on local social media sites and through press coverage to encourage people to submit their own stories. This was a successful strategy and provide a range of historic and contemporary stories for the development of the exhibition and online collection. 

You can view the stories collected and project resources on the Culbin website.