The fortieth Battle Conference on Anglo-Norman Studies took place from Thursday 20th July to Monday 24th July in Paris, where several distinguished medievalists and their institutions provided us with a warm welcome and splendid hospitality. Profound thanks are due to Professor Mathieu Arnoux at the Université Paris-Diderot and the École des Hautes Études des Sciences Sociales, who was in charge of the overall academic organisation of lectures and visits. His task was not unlike that of a medieval royal court steward who made sure that our itinerant conference each day reached its different location for lectures and meals. He also hosted the wonderful conference dinner in a Jugendstil restaurant. He was efficiently assisted by Dr Isabelle Bretthauer. We are also immensely grateful to Professor Dominique Barthélemy of the Université Paris-Sorbonne and the Institut Universitaire de France as our host at the Sorbonne on the Saturday, which was especially opened up for the delegates’ lunch. Professeur Jean-François Cottier of the Université Paris-Diderot provided invaluable preparatory assistance but due to illness was unfortunately unable to attend the conference. More happily, Dr Fanny Madeline (Fondation Thiers) was willing and able to take his place at the very last minute. The Allen Brown Memorial lecture by Professor Nicholas Vincent was given on the Thursday at the Institut de Recherches et d'Histoire des Textes in the Salle Jeanne Vieillard where the director, François Bougard, hosted a lavish reception. We thank him most warmly. The Director of the Institut d’Études Avancées, Professor Gretty Mirdal, allowed us the use of the splendid eighteenth-century Hôtel de Lauzun on the Quai d'Anjou on the Friday, and the Director of the Collège Franco-Britannique in the Cité internationale universitaire de Paris, Professor François Brunet, welcomed us there on the Monday. We acknowledge our sincerest debt to both of them. The Sunday was reserved for an informative tour of Paris under the expert guidance of Professor Lindy Grant (University of Reading) with visits to two important medieval churches. At Saint Denis we were fortunate in receiving additional guidance from Eliott Boulate, who allowed us exceptional access to the Saint Denis lapidarium and its magnificent lavabo of c. 1200.