CONVENTION is also a name given to an extraordinary assembly of parliament, or the estates of the realm, held without the king's writ, as the convention parliament which restored Charles II. This parliament met about a month before his return, sat fully 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, which, upon the retreat of King James II. came to a conclusion that he had abdicated the throne, and that the right of succession had devolved to King William and Queen Mary; upon which the 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 differed in this, that the former could only lay on taxes, while parliament could both impose taxes and make laws.