The forty-first Battle Conference of Anglo-Norman Studies took place from the 20th to the 23rd of July 2018 at Lucy Cavendish College, Cambridge. The Fellow Steward, Mrs Christine Houghton, arranged a warm welcome, exemplary logistical support, delicious meals and very welcome shade in the lush college gardens.

We are most grateful for the financial support from the George Macauley Trevelyan Fund of the Faculty of History (University of Cambridge), and to the Master and Fellows of Emmanuel College for the use of the Old Library and Gardens for the drinks reception. We are indebted to Edward Mayes, Faculty of History, who dealt with the financial aspects of the conference. The fifth winner of the Marjorie Chibnall Memorial Essay Prize was Richard Purkiss (University of Oxford), whose research on the early royal rights of the Liberty of St Edmund was considered the unanimous choice of the panel of judges. This year's Muriel Brown scholars were Hannah Boston, Catherine Healy and Daniel Talbot. For the first time this year, at the initiative of Dr Leonie Hicks, we held a successful poster session for graduate students. The University of Christ Church at Canterbury made available a prize for the best presentation, which was won by Daniel Talbot. As for the conference proceedings, as ever I am most grateful for the expert assistance provide by Caroline Palmer and Rohais Landon and the home team at Boydell & Brewer.

After five years as director of the conference and editor of Anglo-Norman Studies I would like to express my warmest gratitude to my co-trustees of the Allen Brown Memorial Trust, Professors Stephen Church and Lindy Grant, and Drs Mark Hagger, Leonie Hicks and Chris Lewis, without whom these responsibilities would have been infinitely harder to carry out. I am delighted to hand over to Professor Stephen Church (University of East Anglia), who will succeed me in both posts.