The  primitive  rule  of  the  Council  of  Nicsea
that  provincial  synods  should  meet  twice  a


year  was  adopted  by  the  Council  of  Hertford
(673),  with  the  proviso  that  once  should
suffice.  The  Convocations  now  meet  three  or
four  times  a  year.  Each  day's  meeting  is
termed  a  session.  And  when,  as  is  usual,  the
business  lasts  for  three  or  four  days,  they  are
called  a  group  of  sessions.  In  modern  times,
however,  much  of  the  work  of  Convocation
is  done  by  committees,  which  are  not  tied  to
particular  times  or  modes  of  meeting.  Their
reports  are  designed  to  be  the  basis  of
synodical  action.  Convocation  is  prorogued
from  one  group  of  sessions  to  another  by  the
archbishop,  but  it  is  doubtful  whether  he  has
the  power  to  do  this  without  the  assent
of  his  brother  bishops.  Since  the  breach
with  Rome  it  has  usually  been  assumed  that
Convocation  must  be  dissolved  at  the  dissolu-
tion of  Parliament.  The  grounds  for  this
opinion  are  not  clear,  and  it  was  not  followed
on  a  famous  occasion  in  1640  (see  below).
It  is  doubtful  whether  Convocation  is
automatically  dissolved  by  the  demise  of
the  Crown.  The  question  was  raised  after
the  death  of  William  ra.  in  1702,  when  the
attorney-general  advised  that  the  Convocation
then  in  existence  expired  with  the  sovereign.
It  continued  to  sit,  however,  after  the  death
of  Queen  Victoria  in  1901,  and  again  after
that  of  Edward  vn.  in  1910.
