Documentary Dataset on Beliefs, Divination and Practices of the Marvellous in the Tarn (France), 1344–2026
Description
This dataset provides the structured documentary corpus associated with the research report “Croyances, divination et pratiques du merveilleux dans le Tarn, du XIVe au XXIe siècle”. It documents beliefs, divinatory practices, popular healing knowledge, Spiritualist networks, representations of the marvellous, and contemporary professional forms of divination within the territory corresponding to the present-day French department of Tarn. The dataset preserves the V10 corpus finalized on 19 August 2026 and contains 84 documentary records. Fifty records are marked as priority sources or documentary deposits in the V10 selection. The unit of observation is a documentary record: an archive, publication, periodical, catalogue record, oral-history resource, documentary deposit, institutional finding aid, or contemporary professional source identified during the research process. A record does not necessarily represent an independent historical event. Territorial evidence is coded from T1 to T4: T1 for the Tarn itself; T2 for directly relevant neighbouring territories; T3 for Languedoc/Occitan context; and T4 for national or general context. Documentary status is coded from A to F: A for primary sources; B for scientific or university publications; C for learned-society or scholarly secondary publications; D for institutional, catalogue, or local documentation; E for folklore, literature, or indirect testimony; and F for contemporary professional sources. Hybrid codes preserve intermediate documentary situations. The corpus distinguishes documentary fact, statements by actors, accusations or testimony, collective representations, and later interpretations. Judicial accusations are not treated as proof of the alleged conduct; folklore collections do not by themselves establish long-term continuity; and Spiritualist publications are treated as evidence of published discourse and networks rather than independent validation of the phenomena described. The dataset does not assess the ontological reality of supernatural phenomena. Records are in French. No consultation records, client files, medical data, or private participant data are included.
Files
Steps to reproduce
This is a curated documentary dataset rather than an experimental or computational dataset. No specific software is required to inspect or reuse the corpus. Use the main CSV file as the canonical machine-readable dataset and the XLSX workbook as its human-readable equivalent. Preserve record_id as the stable identifier for each documentary record. Interpret geography_code using the T1–T4 definitions supplied in the codebook and in the Method_Codes worksheet: T1 for the Tarn itself; T2 for directly relevant neighbouring territories; T3 for Languedoc/Occitan context; and T4 for national or general context. Interpret documentary_level using the A–F definitions and hybrid-code rules supplied in the documentation. Treat verification_status and next_action as part of the documentary record. Entries identified as unresolved, partial, or requiring additional verification must not be silently converted into established facts. When reconstructing or extending the corpus, consult the documentary source or bibliographic reference identified in each record and preserve the distinction between primary sources, academic publications, learned-society publications, institutional documentation, folklore or indirect testimony, and contemporary professional sources. For historical press, OCR output alone must not be treated as a validated historical occurrence. Positive results should be checked against the original page, issue, date, and documentary context whenever possible. The absence of a keyword from OCR results is not evidence of historical absence. Judicial accusations document the existence of an accusation or procedure, not the factual reality of the alleged conduct. Folklore collections document reported representations or practices at the time of collection and do not independently establish long-term continuity. Spiritualist publications should be treated as primary evidence of published discourse, networks, organizations, and claims, rather than as independent validation of the phenomena described. Use the associated research paper for the narrative historical analysis and this dataset for the underlying documentary structure, source classification, verification status, and research leads.
Categories
Funders
- Leave blank. No external funding is declared for this dataset.