3. Characteristics of the French clasp knife found in French 17th and 18th century North America

Most of these knives have similarities and common traits. Charles A. Hulse (Department of Anthropology, University of Michigan) starts out by observing the following facts: "...All have a horizontal transverse flange at the top of the butt of the blade and a hole through the blade at the base end. All of these blades originally had impressed upon them the names of their makers (see "Known markings" in the table below) but in most cases pitting from rust has obliterated the manufacturer's name for most of them. Although various forms of iron butcher knives were present in the Early and Middle French colonial periods they are not particularly useful in dating these temporal segments because they have not been carefully studied. Moreover, the French clasp-knife blade characteristic of these two periods is at present a better indicator of these early times. Butcher knives of the Middle French colonial period can be recognized because they have French Names stamped on the blade." ⁶

Carl P. Russell goes on to say..." One of the early documentary evidences of their use in America is found in the records of the French Fox War expenses for the years 1715 and 1716-"horn handled clasp knives, 6 livres a dozen." Setzler and Jennings  write of one from the Cherokee site, Peachtree Mound and Village, near Murphy, North Carolina.  In the small museum at Tadoussac (now the Canadian Museum of Civilization), Quebec, is a specimen of French lineage in "fresh" condition, and Maxwell reports numerous disintegrated specimens recovered at Fort Michilimackinac, most of which are "indigenous to the earliest French features" ( early 1700's). The French clasp knife almost always has a one-piece horn.".³

Here below is a "hawk-bill" type knife, a detail taken from a French painting that dates to the beginning of the 18th century.   In this painting, the knife belongs to a set of accoutrements to cut and prepare tobacco (tabac en carotte).   It is quite obvious to see that this "hawk-bill" type of clasp knife was used as a common utensil in everyday French life. 

Above : picture of a french clasp knife featured in Buliard's "AVICEPTOLOGIE FRANCAISE",1795, (Paris , Cussac, An III de la république).

Because not many known marked examples (with original one piece-horn or wood handle) has been preserved due to the fact that they have been subjected to the ravages of burial in the ground, we must look back at the knife making methods used during that time in France. One of my side projects was to reconstruct an original French clasp knife with handle using one of my original dug up blades using models from the "Fougeroux de Bonderoy", J.J Perret and Camille Pagé prints. 

Here are a few low quality pictures of a recovered (dug piece) folding French clasp knife from the fortress of Louisbourg

Based on shape, construction and period, we can say that French clasp knife in this study would be designated in France by the name "Eustache". Most of the one nail French folding (clasp knives) were called "jambettes or flatins" (because the handle looked like a leg = jambe in French *notice J.J Perret sketch of the "Jambette") or "Eustache" knives based on the very simple folding knives made in the famous St.Etiennes manufacture in France.

For a great write up on these types of knive by Bernard Givernaud (friend of mine in France), please click here.

Example of an late 19th century French "Serpette" knife (Fig. 24) with the traditional butt hinge stop  and to the right, an 18th century "Jambette" clasp knife (Fig. 18).  These are from the Bernard Givernaud Collection, France.	Saint-Etienne - Folding knife called "Eustache" : steel blade : handle made out of wood with etching "VERITABLE EUSTACHE" with rebus - Lo : 23 (Musée Municipal de Châtellerault : No Inv : 354 (Dépot Musée de Cluny : C.L 22.231)
	At the historic French traders' center, Tadoussac, at the mouth of the Saguenay in Québec, Canada, is a small museum of the fur trade (now the Canadian Museum of Civilization). Here is exhibited the horn-handled clasp knife which has not been subjected to the ravages of burial in the ground. The tip of the blade was broken off, and some previous owner reshaped the point; otherwise the specimen is in its original condition. It is a "living example", so to speak, of the traditional French clasp knives." 3
Permission to publish picture given by Parks Canada/Fortress of Louisbourg/National Historic Site of Canada (Heather Gillis) Permission to publish picture given by Parks Canada/Fortress of Louisbourg/National Historic Site of Canada (Heather Gillis) item # 1L33DD5.6 L01-31 L91-181 Folding knife that is on exhibit at Fortress Louisbourg. It was found in the garden pool in the yard of the shed/laundry in the Chief Engineer's Property (1732-1740).	Permission to publish picture given by Parks Canada/Fortress of Louisbourg/National Historic Site of Canada (Heather Gillis) item # IL33DD5.5 Clasp knife with original handle found at the Louisbourg Fortress with markings on the blade :  'IEAN IAC.'. This would most likely be the marking of "IEAN IACO". Material: the handle is made out of wood and the blade is iron. ARTIFACT KNIFE CLASP ARTIFACT NUMBER 1L33DD5.5 CONSERVATION NUMBER H99-0132 CONDITION: BLADE INCOMPLETE, LOSS IN HANDLE AT END OPPOSITE BLADE
Folding knife of the "Eustache" type, found in a flea market in Aubin, a village of the Aveyron region, France. This is from the Bernard Givernaud Collection, France.	Top view and close up of the Aubin knife.

Here is an extraordinary example of an intact French clasp knife in museum grade condition :  9 ^1/2 when open. Notice the brass washer and iron pin construction.  The handle is wood and is pierced at the base possibly for a leather cord or chain. (... usually dangling on a little chain fastened to the ceinture or belt.  This knife doubled for table use.⁷)

Wooden handle which house a Siamese French clasp knife blade has beveled edges ; the width narrows towards the blade top end, where it is upturned.  The blade and handle are fastened by a single rivet.  This handle and blade were found at the Fletcher Site Cemetery in Bay County, Michigan.  This site dates from 1745-1765.