The early eighteenth-century arguments over convocation were to a great extent fuelled by disputes over the proper procedures to be followed, and it was often this concern which drove researchers to dig into the earlier history of the institution in an attempt to prove their own point of view. As always in such circumstances, the results were mixed, as history became propaganda in the hands of adroit church politicians. Only in the twentieth century do we find objective studies of the question, and these have concentrated mainly on the medieval period. The issue is best approached by looking at the life-cycle of a typical convocation, beginning with the initial summons and continuing to the dissolution and subsequent implementation of the decisions taken during the sessions.

The summons

In principle, ecclesiastical synods have always been summoned by whoever is in charge of the jurisdiction concerned. In the Middle Ages, it was generally accepted that a bishop could summon a diocesan synod, an archbishop a provincial synod and the pope an ecumenical council of the whole church. It was also possible for the pope (or his legate) to summon a council of more than one province, something which was common in England until 1268 but virtually unknown afterwards. Before 1066 the bishops and the nobility had governed England together, under the overall aegis of the king, so that the concept of an ‘ecclesiastical synod’ became blurred. There were certainly many assemblies at which church matters formed the major part of the discussion, but they were usually attended by the king and his retainers, just as supposedly ‘secular’ gatherings would have a significant episcopal presence. Who had a right to summon such assemblies was not altogether clear, but in practice it seems to have been the king, perhaps with the agreement of the archbishops when appropriate.

After the conquest a clearer distinction between church and state began to emerge, although the king's wishes could not be ignored. William II (1087-1100) refused to allow any church council to meet during his reign and the other kings could certainly have prevented them as well if they had so wished. Until the accession of Edward I in 1272, most of the councils held in England were summoned by a papal legate and covered both provinces.