What are the roles of the Junior and Senior Deacon in a Lodge?

Deacons are two officers attached to the Master and Wardens of a lodge, distinguished symbolically by the emblem of the dove 1. A primary duty assigned to these officers is taking charge of candidates, whom they approach in peace and goodwill 1.

In lodge operations, the Senior Deacon is placed in charge of the inner door, whereas the Junior Deacon has charge of the outer door 2. Communications between the inside and outside of the lodge are conducted through the door under their oversight, opening only upon a duly reported alarm and by order of the Worshipful Master 2.

Early eighteenth-century English rituals contained no mention of deacons, their later responsibilities being divided among the Junior Warden and the Senior and Junior Entered Apprentices 2. The office developed through Irish practice and was maintained by the Antients Grand Lodge, ultimately gaining general adoption in England at the Union of 1813 2.