Brunon a Cotatay has been a difficult manufacturer to find information on. Foils with the “Brunon a Cotatay” maker’s mark surface only occasionally and don’t seem very common. We’ve been able to find the name “Brunon” connected to the Cotatay region in France since the mid 18th century. Cotatay is a region close to Saint Etienne known for it’s metallurgists, forgers and for the holy pilgrimage site Le Grotte de Cotatay.

Brunon a Cotatay Makers Mark

Our ongoing research indicates a long line of Brunon blacksmiths in the Cotatay region including a Barthelemy Brunon. Jean Brunon, possibly Barthelemy’s his eldest son, operated a forge in Cotatay making foils and naval nails up to at least 1942. The American retailer Castello Fencing Equipment sold “Brunon” foils blades in their 1936 & 1939 catalogs, but not in their 1955 catalog. Le Progres, a French newspaper reporting on the restoration of the Brunon Factory (which opened as a museum in 2017) mentions that the factory closed in the 1980s. There’s no mention in this article that the factory produced foil blades, only that the factory’s turbines, shears and rolling mills were still present.

Since the 18th century its clear the Brunon family were forgers and blacksmiths in the Cotatay region. However, foil blades marked with Brunon a Cotatay are probably only attributed to one Brunon company (likely operated by Jean Brunon) which we hypothesize produced fencing blades between 1882 and 1950 (about the same time their colleagues at Klingenthal were producing foil blades). Remember too, that if a Brunon a Cotatay blade also contains the English stamp “Made in France” it must have been imported for sale into the United States after the Tarif Act of 1930.

Photo from a blog documenting a visit to the Cotatay Region. Visit Blog.

Brunon a Cotatay Research Source Timeline

• 1878 – “Dissolution… de la Societe Brunon freres, maitres de forges, a Rive-de-Gier. Liquid. : M. Barthelemy Brunon”
• 1882 – “Etablissement Brunon” founded
• 1892 – Hallmark indexing for “Brunon aine (Jean), designer des outils, articles pour l’escrime et aciers toutes sortes.
• 1909 – “Dissolution of Societe Vve L. Rub et J. Brunon, fab. d’armes blanches”
• 1936 – Castello Fencing Equipment (USA) catalog retails “Brunon” foil blades.
• 1939 – Castello Fencing Equipment (USA) catalog retails “Brunon” foil blades.
• 1942 – French folklore description that the Cotatay region has been home to blacksmiths for two centuries. Mentions M. Brunon was still producing nails and foil blades.
• 1955 – Castello Fencing Equipment (USA) catalog no longer includes “Brunon” blades.
• 1980s – Article published in 2017 states restoration is underway transforming the Usine (factory) Brunon into a museum, and states the factory closed in the 1980s. No indication the factory produced blades or fencing equipment.