Were most of these axes made in the Biscay provinces? 

More specifically the town of Bayonne?

 

Notice on this map the reference to "Coste de Biscaye" or "Basque coast" and the town of Bayonne in the center of this 17th century map.

We do know that the "biscay axe" is noted on many occasions in the French records throughout the 17th and 18th century, going from the equipement list of the Carignan,-Salières Regiment that obtained "1000 Biscayan axes" to the ledgers of the Montréal outfitter Monière - 20 Biscay axes @40s  (ANQ-M: Livre de compte de Charles Nolan Lamarque, 1727-1729 et 1734-36, microfilm M-4.)  .   These indicate that the "biscay axe" was a popular type axe shipped to the colonies in great numbers. 

This type of axe was also mentionned on the occasion of a Hudson Bay's meeting November 27, 1673 :

That Mr. Raddison attended Mr. Millington forthwith with a pattern of biscay hatchets to be provided for this country, such as are usually sent from thence for France to serve the Indians in and about Canada, and that Mr. Millington bee desired to give order for two thousand hatchets to be brought from Biscay by the first opportunity.

Timothy J. Kent  in "Ft Pontchartrain at Detroit, Volumes I & II" states :

 "A memorendum from about 1692 concerning supplies for Canada and Acadia referred to 400 small trade axes from Bayonne, which were valued at 0,6 livre a piece. (N.A.C., Archives des Colonies, F1A-10,f.211v") 1

More than four decades later, in 1735, 71 axes from Bayonne, each priced at 0.9 livre, were contained in the merchandise of the Montreal outfitter Le Ber (Inventory of 7 Juin, 1735, Notary Lepallieur, A.N.Q.-M") 1

 The town of Bayonne, France, is located in the Aquitaine province in the southern part of France next to the Basque provinces.  This seems like a perfect area for this type of large scale production due to its proximity to the "Pyrennes" mountains which are rich in iron ore deposits and the town being a sea port. This combination is perfect for the manufacture and shipping of such implements.

And so, I decided to contact the local museum in Bayonne, France regarding these types of axes. The museum's director, Monsieur O.Ribeton sent me an excerpt from Edouard Ducéré's "Dictionnaire historique de Bayonne".   There existed in the town of Bayonne a very large corporation of blacksmiths and armorers who went by the name of "Faures" who produced large quantities of weapons, tools and other iron implements.  These might of been the same blacksmiths who manufactured our French trade axes.

FAURES(CORPORAION DES). L'une des plus anciennes et des plus puissantes corporations d'arts et métiers de Bayonne. Ce fut en prévision d'un siège du roi de Castille, que le Corps de ville qui désirait s'assurer le concours et la fidélité de la Corporation des Faures, leur (concéda en 1205), un des très important privilège: ( Pour les maisons;, boutiques' et places situées dans la rue des Faures, qui s'étendait depuis le portail de l'Evêché jusqu'a la porte de la Pusterle ; le Faure, qu'il s'agisse de vente, de bail a engagement ou louage, devait être préfère a tout autre habitant, mais aussi il ne pouvait avoir d'atelier que dans cette rue ». Les Faures rendirent un grand service au roi d' Angleterre en aidant Pascal de Biele à reprendre la ville sur les Français. Le roi Edouard envoya au maître de notre ville et à la solide infanterie des Faures des lettres de félicitations et de remerciements. Les Faures voulant retirer quelques bénéfices de leur fidélité, el sous le patronage de Pascal, exprimèrent au roi « au regard du service qu'ils venaient de rendre à la couronne ", la détresse de leur corporation  " Leurs ancêtres, disaient-ils, avaient été bien plus heureux qu'ils ne l'étaient eux-mêmes ; chaque maître pouvait entretenir de 3 à 4 ouvriers, et leur rue présentait en ligne de bataille 160 fantassins armés de pied en cap : c'est qu'il savaient alors le monopole du marché.  Aujourd'hui, de Castille, de Navarre et d'autre part, l'étranger transportait en ville, à leur grand préjudice, toute espèce d'objets  de ferronnerie, des clous, des bisarmes, des haches, des bipennes".  On fabriquait beaucoup mieux à Bayonne ; mais les produits étrangers, à cause de leur qualité inférieure, pouvant être livrés à un plus bas prix, faisaient aux produits indigènes la concurrence la plus désastreuse.  Edouard ne pouvait marchander ses bonnes grâces à d'aussi braves serviteurs:  acquiescent a leur demande, il interdit ]'introduction en ville de fer ouvragé, à l'exception des armes de corps, et accorda aux Faures le droit direct de saisie, afin de protéger el de défendre le privilège de leur corporation.  Ceci fut fait le 24 février 1205. La corporation d'arts et métiers s'occupant de la fabrication des armes, comprenait, a Bayonne, sous le nom de Faures ou forgerons, des taillandiers, des cloutiers, des cuirassiers, des fourbisseurs, des fondeurs, des potiers d'étain, des albalétriers, devenus plus tard des arquebusiers.  Bientôt les limites dans lesquelles la corporation des Faures étaient enfermées dans leur rue se trouvant trop étroites, une partie d'entre eux se dispersa dans la ville. En outre du feu qui était continuellement éteint, on voit dans le contenu d'une plainte adressée au Corps de ville et datée du 17 avril 1753, «qu'il est contraire au bon ordre, du lieu public, aux règlements de police et aux statuts faits par les compagnies établies en jurandes et qui à l'instar de forgerons et serrurier~, se servent continuellement et à grands coups, de l 'enclume et du marteau, et auxquelles,, i1 est enjoint de se retirer dans la rue des Faures, en quoi ils sont relatifs aux articles 18 et 19 de la coutume de cette ville du retrait des chose vendues".  La loi du 2 mars 1791 vint porter au coup mortel aux corporations, en accordant à tout Français le droit de faire négoce. À cette époque la compagnie de Faures, armuriers et maréchaux-ferrants, comptait dans notre ville 26 maîtres et 60 garçons. 2

Translation (please pardon my very fast translation) :

FAURES (CORPORATION OF). One of oldest and the most powerful corporations of arts and trades of Bayonne. It was in forecast of a seat of king de Castille, that the Body of city which wished to secure the contest and fidelity of the Corporation of Faures, (conceded to them in 1205), one of the very significant privilege: (For the houses;, boutiques' and places located in the street of Faures, which extended since the gate from Evêché until the door from Pusterle; The faure, which it is of sale, lease or hiring, is to be preferered  amoungts all others, but also he could have workshop only in this street ". Faures rendered a great service to King of England by helping Pascal de Biele retake the city from the French. King Edouard sent to the Master of our city and to the solid infantry of the Faures letters of thanks and congratulations.  The Faures wanting to withdraw some benefit of their fidelity, and under the patronage of Pascal, expressed with the king "in comparison with the service which they had just rendered to the crown", the distress of their corporation "Their ancestors, said, had been much happier than they were; each Master could maintain 3 to 4 workmen. Today, from Castille, from Navarre and elsewhere, foreigners brought with them, any species of objects of ironwork, nails, "bisarmes", axes, "bipennes". One however manufactured much better in Bayonne; but the foreign products, because of their lower quality, were sold at a much lower price, was competition to the domestic products. Edouard could not haggle over his good thanks to such honest servants: agree has their request, to prohibit any foreign worked iron, except for the weapons carried on their body, and granted to the Faures the direct right of seizure, in order to protect and to defend the privilege of their corporation. This was done on February 24, 1205.

The corporation of arts and trades dealing with the manufacture of the weapons, included in Bayonne, under the name of Faures :  blacksmiths, "taillandiers", the nailsmiths, the cuirassiers, the furbishers, the founders, the tin potters, of the "albalétriers" becoming later "arquebusiers". Soon the limits within which the corporation of Faures were locked up in their street being too narrow, a part of them dispersed in the city. Moreover fire which was continuously extinguished, one sees in the contents of a complaint addressed to the Body of city  on April 17, 1753, "which it is against the good order, of the public place, with the payments of police force and the statutes made by the companies established in "jurandes" and which following the example blacksmiths and serruriers, make use continuously and with great blows, of anvil and the hammer, and to which,he is enjoint to withdraw itself in the street of Faures, in what they relate to articles 18 and 19 of the tradition of this city of the withdrawal of the any sold products".

The law of March 2, 1791 carried a mortal blow to the corporations, by granting to any French the right to make trade. At that time the company of Faures, arms manufacturers and marshal-shoeing, counted in our city 26 Masters and 60 boys.2

In order to follow through with this lead, I contacted Bernard Harnie-Cousseau, the secretary from the "Genealogy and History of the Basque Country Families" regarding the Faures corporations.   This is what he had to say on Faures.

Faures are  blacksmiths. They are also metal workers and sometimes arms manufacturers. In 1787, there was a corporation of Faures which counted 26 Master Faures. The unions of this corporation in 1788 are Lartigue and Boubée. Here some Faures patronyms between 1693 and 1788:

 

This is only one of the numerous possibilities as to where these axes were possibly manufactured.  We would have to find some existing examples from the town of Bayonne that match up in shape and size with our trade axe pattern.  Our next step at this point is to search out the archives at Rocherfort, Bayonne and Paris for any merchants records or ledgers indicating the purchase of large quantities of trade axes from a specific manufacturer in Bayonne to be sent to the French colonies.

 

1. Timothy J. Kent, "Ft Pontchartrain at Detroit, Volumes I & II", Silver Fox Enterprises, 2001.

2. Edouard Ducéré, Dictionnaire historique de Bayonne, 1911.