where did the office of deacon come from in craft masonry

The office of Deacon appears derived from the usages of the early Christian church, where deacons acted as doorkeepers during religious services 1. In eighteenth-century Masonic practice, the office was absent from the earliest rituals, and its responsibilities were handled by the Junior Warden alongside Senior and Junior Entered Apprentices 1.

W. J. Chetwode Crawley noted a distinction between early Scottish usage and Irish ritual 1. In early Scottish minute books, a Deacon held the highest post in the lodge, presiding over meetings in a manner similar to a Dean of Faculty 1. In Irish ritual, however, the office matched the ecclesiastical role 1.

The appointment of Deacons became a distinguishing feature of Irish usage 1. Lodges working under the Grand Lodge of the Antients in England adopted the practice from Irish Masonry, but the office was not generally established across English Craft lodges until the Union of 1813 1.

The office of Deacon was not generally adopted in Premier Grand Lodge ("Moderns") lodges during the eighteenth century, as those duties were historically performed by the Junior Warden alongside the Senior and Junior Entered Apprentices 1. The presence of Deacons served as a distinguishing feature between Irish practice and early English usage, with lodges under the Antients Grand Lodge adopting the office in alignment with the Irish work 1. The office was only formally adopted across English Craft Masonry at the Union of 1813, in deference to the usage of the Antients 1.

Despite its general absence from early English ritual, William Preston's 1796 *Illustrations of Masonry* sets out a form for appointing and charging Deacons during the investiture of lodge officers 2. In Preston's account, Deacons were entrusted with columns as badges of office and assigned to attend the Master, assist the Wardens, and aid in candidate receptions and ritual practice 2.

The charge of candidates is placed in the hands of the Deacons, who serve as officers attached directly to the Master and Wardens 3.

In terms of the lodge's security and communications, the Senior Deacon takes charge of the Inner Door, while the Junior Deacon is placed in charge of the Outer Door 1. Communication between the inside and outside of the lodge takes place through the door, which is opened only upon a regular alarm being duly reported and by order of the Worshipful Master 1.