A Church of Scotland diocesan synod. In 1661 the presbyterian form of Church government was abolished and the episcopalian system revived. Bishops were reinstated and in some parts of Scotland, including Brechin, they operated diocesan synods, which differed little from the provincial synods that had met under the presbyterian system. The first synod met in 1662 and the last meeting was in 1688 before the abolition of the Episcopacy in 1689.