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Originally Posted by A. G. Maisey
... The Spanish Notch is usually found in a similar position to the choil, but although it may be similar to a choil, and can also be used to indicate the point at which sharpening should begin, it is not a choil. The Spanish Notch appears to have its origins in mediaeval left hand daggers, it continued as a design element in the line of large knives that followed the left hand dagger and in these knives it eventually developed into a decorative feature.
In modern custom knives the Spanish Notch is sometimes included as a decorative element, I very much doubt if most custom makers have any understanding of its origins or original purpose.
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Thanks Alan. Very helpful explanation. The Spanish colonial knives of the Canary Islands and South America that show a notch tend to be on the small side, generally less than 12 inches in overall length in my experience. Is that your experience too.