This chapter concludes the volume’s fourth thematic strand (Cultural Perspectives) with a study of schools and education in the age of William the Conqueror. Utilising the perspective of the long eleventh century, it scrutinises different cultures of schooling in Normandy and England and the relationships that existed between them. This is followed by a discussion on the memory of pre-Conquest English learning in post-Conquest England and a concluding case study of King Harold’s Waltham.

Who eventually becomes a hallowed name in the literary canon for a given historical period is often a matter of coincidence, diverse conjunctures or, simply, inexplicable arbitrariness. Hence for various reasons some medieval authors undeservedly continue to languish in the shade of their better-known contemporaries. One such is Lawrence of Durham, generally neglected and only recently, yet still slowly, rediscovered – mainly by German philologists. The first edition of his main work, the Hypognosticon appeared as late as 2002. Yet judging from the quality of his works and the variety of genres and rhetorical devices he skilfully employed, Lawrence was and is far from being a literary dwarf. Considering the historical value of his writings, the neglect appears similarly surprising; he did after all witness a most stormy period in the history of Durham in particular (the contested episcopacy of William Cumin) and England in general (the reign of Stephen). Lawrence's writings do reflect these contemporary conflicts, though from a distinctly partisan perspective, and no matter what one may think of his literary achievements, his varied opus certainly merits closer attention for several reasons. This article will give a brief introduction to the biography of Lawrence of Durham, his personality and writings, before taking a closer look at a single text, the third and longest of his five forensic declamations, known as the orationes. Finally, I will touch upon a number of central aspects, concerning the meanings and implications of law and justice, and how they may fit into a broader ideological context.