FRENCH LAW AND INSTITUTIONS).
In secular usage there are two congregations or governing bodies of the university of Oxford, viz., the "Ancient House of Congre gation," which, consisting of the vice-chancellor, proctors and regent masters, grants and confers degrees, and the "Congrega tion of the University of Oxford," created by act of parliament in 1854, and consisting of all members of convocation who are tech nically resident. All statutes must be passed by this congregation before their introduction in convocation, and it alone has the power of amending statutes. In the university of Cambridge congregation is the term used of the meeting of the senate. In Scottish history, the frequent occurrence of the word, in the sense of "church," in the national covenant of 1537, gave the name of "congregation" to the reforming party, and the signatories of the covenant were generally known as "lords of the congrega tion."