The repercussions of the Culbin Sands disaster of 1694: the emotional impacts of a shifting landscape in North-East Scotland

The popular story concerning the destruction of the Barony of Culbin, in North-East Scotland, is that in one night in 1694 a cataclysmic storm drowned the Barony under a sea of sand. The area never recovered, and over the years came to be known as the Culbin Sands. However, beginning in the 1920s discussions arose surrounding the afforestation of the area, an endeavour which began in the 1930s, leading to the area now being known as the Culbin Forest. The truth of the storm and the shifting of the landscape over the years is not quite so violent or sudden, yet the myth persists, and can still be found to be adhered to today by locals and visitors, amateur historians and artists, drawn in by the idea of the dangers of extreme weather. While less violent and sudden, however, the true nature of the events is still fascinating, and a potential lesson for the present, as the encroachment of sand upon the land was the product of humanity’s actions upon the local environment, and a different climate to today. This article investigates this popular narrative, interrogating it in regards to its truth and its place in history. It assesses the emotional impact of the land upon the locals, and the long-term effects of the loss of the estate. It also assesses the impact of the emotions of observers upon the land itself, and how human emotions have driven attitudes towards the environment, in the past and in the present.