Nontron is a small town in the north of the Dordogne brimming with history. It was founded by Phoenician explorers in 1100 BC and now has a population of just over 3,500. Throughout its interesting development it has survived a number of wars and sieges. In 1199 Richard the Lionheart met his end here.

Today Nontron is a charming town, which has kept its traditional way of life. Its bustling market is the best place to meet fellow inhabitants and sample the local produce. If you want to delve into the region’s past then you have the choice of three castles. The Castle of Castelnaud is the oldest one. It was built in the 12th Century and is now a war museum. The Castle of Marvel was constructed under the orders of the Viscounts of Limoges in the 13th Century and the Castle of Beauvais was built in the 15th Century.

Nontron knives have been fashioned in the tiny village of Nontron in the Perigord region of France for the past 500 years. The techniques used have remained nearly the same since the fifteenth Century- individual craftsmen using their own rasps. anvils and finishing tools to create a work of folk artistry. Each knife is an original work by one of only six artisan knife makers. The blade is forged either from 440 stainless or high carbon steel, then tempered. The boxwood used on every Nontron knife is cut only in the region and allowed to air-dry for five years before being cut and shaped. The factory, if this small building can be called that, is the oldest continuously operating cutlery forge in France.

"The fidelity of wood and steel"- is a most fitting motto for Nontron knives. This oldest French knife dates to the 15th Century. The sword of Charles VII was forged in Nontron, as was the cutlery of many other notable figures throughout history. Boxwood on the handle has a symbolical value in that it is eternal; it stays green all year. “The Nontron” was instrumental as a rite of passage for boys in the region; the acquiring of a Nontron signified manhood.

Each knife is hand decorated with the wood burned logo, which has an ancient but unknown significance. Unlike most knives, the handle of most Nontrons thicken toward the blade to prevent the hand from slipping forward.

In 1928, the individual craftsmen of Nontron joined to form the Nontron Co. However, throughout the years it has remained a small company with just six craftsmen individually making each knife from its beginning through the 40 operations necessary to produce a finished knife. The total output of Nontron knives is about 30,000 knives per year.

In 1992, Nontron merged with Laguiole, another old line of French knives. This knife has been produced commercially since 1829 and is considered by many to be the most elegant of French knives. However it is the intent of the parent company to keep the two identities separate and to keep them unchanged.

Most people have heard of Opinel, the very fine French country knife. However, how many of you have heard of Nontron? Both of these knives started as cottage industries in France and are famous in their respective regions, as well as the whole of France. Perhaps through marketing strategy, the Opinel has been introduced to the rest of the world, but the Nontron has remained France's secret. Also, the Opinel is relatively inexpensive compared to the Nontron, and I'm sure that the quantity of Opinels produced each year is many times greater than the number of Nontrons produced. Regardless of its lack of international notoriety; the Nontron is a very high quality knife, one that deserves a close look by knife enthusiasts who appreciate fine cutlery.