Editing Alfred Deakin (section)

===Birth and family background===
Deakin was born on 3 August 1856 in his parents' cottage at 90 George Street, [[Fitzroy, Victoria|Fitzroy]], Melbourne, Victoria.{{sfn|La Nauze|1965a|p=7}} He was of English and Welsh descent, the younger of two children born to Sarah (''[[née]]'' Bill) and William Deakin.{{efn|His paternal grandfather John Deakin was born in [[Staffordshire]], and worked in the leather industry as a [[currier]] before later becoming an [[HM Excise|excise officer]]. He married the daughter of [[Buckinghamshire]] farmer, and their son – Deakin's father – was born in [[Towcester]], [[Northamptonshire]]. Deakin's mother was born in [[Llanarth, Monmouthshire]], the daughter and granddaughter of farmers; her ancestors were from the [[Welsh border|border counties]] of Monmouthshire, [[Brecknockshire]] and [[Shropshire]].{{sfn|La Nauze|1965a|p=4}}}} His father left school at the age of 14 and became a travelling salesman. He met his future wife while travelling through [[Abergavenny]], and they married at [[Grosmont, Monmouthshire]] in 1849.{{sfn|La Nauze|1965a|p=4}} Britain was experiencing an economic depression associated with the [[Panic of 1847]], and they decided to migrate to Australia.{{sfn|La Nauze|1965a|p=5}} The Deakins arrived in [[Adelaide]], [[South Australia]], in March 1850.{{sfn|La Nauze|1965a|p=3}} Their first child [[Catherine Deakin|Catherine]] (known as Kate) was born in July 1850, at which point her father was working as a storekeeper and clerk. The family moved to Melbourne as a result of the [[Victorian gold rush]], which began the following year.{{sfn|La Nauze|1965a|p=6}} William Deakin initially struggled to find steady employment, but later became involved with the carrying and coaching trade, transporting people and goods; he was listed as a [[wikt:carrier|carrier]] at the time of his son's birth in 1856. By the early 1870s, he was working with [[Cobb & Co]] as a manager, inspector, and accountant, earning a salary that allowed he and his family to maintain a comfortable middle-class lifestyle.{{sfn|La Nauze|1965a|pp=7–9}}