CONVENTION is also a name given to an extraordinary assembly of parliament, or the estates of the realm, held without the king's writ. Of this kind was the convention parliament which restored Charles II. This parliament met above a month before his return, and sat full seven months after his restoration, and enacted several laws still in force, which were confirmed by stat. 13 Car. II. c. 7. and c. 14. Such also was the convention of estates in 1688, who, upon the retreat of king James II. came to a conclusion that he had abdicated the throne, and that the right of succession devolved to king William and queen Mary; whereupon their assembly expired as a convention, and was converted into a parliament.

CONVENTION of Estates, in Scotland, was partly of the nature of a parliament; but differing in this, that the former could only lay on taxes, while parliament could both impose taxes and make laws.