diff --git a/doc/manualbib.xml b/doc/manualbib.xml
index 99cc0a62a0..90eea8a038 100644
--- a/doc/manualbib.xml
+++ b/doc/manualbib.xml
@@ -5558,4 +5558,20 @@
   <other type="doi">10.1017/CBO9781139192576</other>
 </book></entry>
 
+<entry id="Tay92"><book>
+  <author>
+    <name><first>Donald E.</first><last>Taylor</last></name>
+  </author>
+  <title>The geometry of the classical groups</title>
+  <publisher>Heldermann Verlag, Berlin</publisher>
+  <year>1992</year>
+  <volume>9</volume>
+  <series>Sigma Series in Pure Mathematics</series>
+  <isbn>3-88538-009-9</isbn>
+  <mrnumber>1189139</mrnumber>
+  <mrclass>20E32 (20E34 20E42 20G40 51E24)</mrclass>
+  <mrreviewer>Gernot Stroth</mrreviewer>
+  <other type="pages">xii+229</other>
+</book></entry>
+
 </file>
diff --git a/grp/classic.gi b/grp/classic.gi
index 885f863d80..b827860610 100644
--- a/grp/classic.gi
+++ b/grp/classic.gi
@@ -1917,6 +1917,111 @@ InstallMethod( Omega,
     { filt, e, d, R } -> OmegaCons( filt, e, d, Size( R ) ) );
 
 
+#############################################################################
+##
+#F  WallForm( <form>, <m> ) . . .  compute Wall form of <m> wrt <form>
+##
+##  Return the Wall form of <m>, where <m> is a matrix which is orthogonal
+##  with respect to the bilinear form <form>, also given as a matrix.
+##  For the definition of Wall forms, see [Tay92, page 163].
+BindGlobal( "WallForm", function( form, m )
+    local id,  w,  b,  p,  i,  x,  j, d, rank;
+
+    id := One( m );
+
+    # compute a base for Image(id-m) which is a subset of the rows of (id - m)
+    # We also store the index of the rows (corresponding to w) in p
+    w := id - m;
+    b := [];
+    p := [];
+    rank := 0;
+    for i in [ 1 .. Length(w) ]  do
+        # add a new row and see if that increases the rank
+        Add( b, w[i] );
+        if RankMat(b) > rank then
+            Add( p, i );
+            rank := rank + 1;
+        else
+            Remove( b ); # rank was not increased, so remove the added row again
+        fi;
+    od;
+
+    # compute the form
+    d := Length(b);
+    x := NullMat(d,d,DefaultFieldOfMatrix(m));
+    for i  in [ 1 .. d ]  do
+        for j  in [ 1 .. d ]  do
+            x[i,j] := form[p[i]] * b[j];
+        od;
+    od;
+
+    # and return
+    return rec( base := b, pos := p, form := x );
+
+end );
+
+
+#############################################################################
+##
+#F  IsSquareFFE( fld, e) . . . . . . . Tests whether <e> is a square in <fld>
+##
+## For an finite field element <e> of <fld> this function returns
+## true if <e> is a square element in <fld> and otherwise false.
+BindGlobal( "IsSquareFFE", function( fld, e )
+    local char, q;
+    
+    if IsZero(e) then
+        return true;
+    else
+        char := Characteristic(fld);
+        # If the characteristic of fld is equal to 2, we know that every element is a
+        # square. Hence, we can return true.
+        if char = 2 then
+            return true;
+        fi;
+        q := Size(fld);
+        
+        # If the characteristic of fld is not 2, we know that there are exactly
+        # (q+1)/2 elements which are a square (Huppert LA, Theorem 2.5.4). Now observe
+        # that for a square element e we have that e^((q-1)/2) = 1. And, thus, the
+        # polynomial X^((q-1)/2) - 1 has already (q-1)/2 different roots (every square
+        # except 0). Hence, for a non-square element e' we have that (e')^((q-1)/2) <> 1
+        # which proves the line below.
+        return IsOne(e^((q-1)/2));
+    fi;
+    
+end );
+
+
+#############################################################################
+##
+#F  SpinorNorm( <form>, <fld>, <m> ) . . . . . compute the spinor norm of <m>
+##
+##
+## For a matrix <m> over the finite field <fld> of odd characteristic which
+## is orthogonal with respect to the bilinear form <form>, also given as a
+## matrix, this function returns One(fld) if the discriminant of the
+## Wall form of <m> is (F^*)^2 and otherwise -1 * One(fld).
+## For the definition of Wall forms, see [Tay92, page 163].
+BindGlobal( "SpinorNorm", function( form, fld, m )
+    local one;
+    
+    if Characteristic(fld) = 2 then
+        Error("The characteristic of <fld> needs to be odd.");
+    fi;
+    
+    one := OneOfBaseDomain(m);
+    if IsOne(m) then return one; fi;
+    
+    if IsSquareFFE(fld, DeterminantMat( WallForm(form,m).form )) then
+        return one;
+    else
+        return -1 * one;
+    fi;
+end );
+
+
+
 #############################################################################
 ##
 #F  WreathProductOfMatrixGroup( <M>, <P> )  . . . . . . . . .  wreath product
diff --git a/tst/testinstall/grp/classic-G.tst b/tst/testinstall/grp/classic-G.tst
index 098b062aee..7861935b31 100644
--- a/tst/testinstall/grp/classic-G.tst
+++ b/tst/testinstall/grp/classic-G.tst
@@ -1,7 +1,7 @@
 #
 # Tests for the "general" group constructors: GL, GO, GU, GammaL
 #
-#@local G, H, d, q, S, grps
+#@local G, H, d, q, S, grps, gens, w, form, g, fld
 
 gap> START_TEST("classic-G.tst");
 
@@ -196,6 +196,35 @@ Error, no 1st choice method found for `Omega' on 3 arguments
 gap> Omega(2,2);
 Error, sign <e> = 0 but dimension <d> is even
 
+# Tests for IsSquare
+gap> fld := GF(3^2);;
+gap> IsSquareFFE(fld,Zero(fld));
+true
+gap> IsSquareFFE(fld,Z(3^2)^6);
+true
+gap> IsSquareFFE(fld,Z(3^2)^7);
+false
+gap> fld := GF(2^2);;
+gap> IsSquareFFE(fld,PseudoRandom(fld));
+true
+
+# Tests for SpinorNorm
+gap> G := Omega(1,4,3);;
+gap> gens := GeneratorsOfGroup(G);;
+gap> form := G!.InvariantBilinearForm.matrix;;
+gap> SpinorNorm(form,GF(3),gens[1]);
+Z(3)^0
+gap> SpinorNorm(form,GF(3),gens[2]);
+Z(3)^0
+gap> w := PrimitiveElement(GF(3));;
+gap> g := IdentityMat(4,GF(3));;
+gap> SpinorNorm(form,GF(3),g);
+Z(3)^0
+gap> g[1,1] := w^3;;
+gap> g[4,4] := w^(-3);;
+gap> SpinorNorm(form,GF(3),g);
+Z(3)
+
 # Membership tests in GL, SL, GO, SO, GU, SU, Sp can be delegated
 # to the tests of the stored respected forms and therefore are cheap.
 gap> for d in [ 1 .. 10 ] do