According to Lloyds Shipping Register 1837-1839, the CHILDREN was built in 1825 at Liverpool and operated by owners Gordon & Co, of London. London registered number 123/1837. James Henty then bought the vessel in 1837 as a three-masted barque of 254 tons, with a hull of “part pitch pine, felt sheathed” and “coppered 1837”. Launceston registered number 6/1837. In 1838, the CHILDREN, under her master Captain H. Browne, completed a successful round trip from Launceston to London carrying wool and whale oil loaded in Portland, returning in late November of that year carrying a general cargo including the house bricks. On the 11th January 1839, the CHILDREN sailed from Launceston for Adelaide, with 24 passengers, 14 crew, and an awkward mixed cargo, including 1500 sheep, 8 bullocks, 7 horses, farming implements, and six whaleboats with associated whaling gear, and house bricks for the Hentys' settlement in Portland. One account states that when the CHILDREN “put out from port, it was light and badly ballasted”. The vessel immediately encountered four days of hurricane force storms, eventually clearing on the early morning of the 14th to “west force 10”, but too late to take accurate measurements of the sun or stars to establish their position relative to the coast. The CHILDREN collided with a limestone stack at the entrance of what is now called Childers Cove, and the seas smashed it into pieces within half an hour. All the cargo and 16 lives were lost, including 9 children. The Hentys contributed £150 towards a fund for the 22 survivors at a memorial service held in Launceston later that year. It was a major financial setback for the Henrys, but one from which they recovered. In a submission to the Governor of New South Wales dated 24 March 1840, the Henty’s summarised their work over the previous six years of settlement: “Six stations have been occupied, one at Portland Bay…three at the open country about 60 miles inland called ‘Merino Downs’…They have erected two houses at Portland Bay and two others at Merino Downs”. The London house bricks recovered from the Children's wreck are significant as part of the cargo of the early 19th-century barque. The bricks were intended for the owner of the Children, the Henty family, for their Portland settlement. The 1839 wreck and recovered artefacts are examples of the construction methods and materials used in that era and can be used to study the evolution of shipbuilding methods and principles. The wreck of the Children is of state significance as one of colonial Victoria’s earliest and most significant maritime disasters, and one of the first vessels lost in the Western District. This is recognised by its inclusion on the Victorian Heritage Register, VHR No. S116. Little is left on the seabed to mark the tragedy, apart from some of the house bricks intended for the Henty settlement. Clay brick: house brick from London, with some with white marine encrustation, recovered from the wreck of the ship CHILDREN. The brick is an oblong shape and is constructed of a coarse-grained conglomerate. flagstaff hill, flagstaff hill maritime museum and village, warrnambool, maritime museum, maritime village, great ocean road, shipwreck coast, shipwreck artefact, children, barque, three-masted, liverpool, childer’s cove, port campbell, 1839 shipwreck, 1939 wreck, james henty and co, henty brothers, captain h. browne, first mate t. gay, second mate w. wentworth, portland, portland bay, 1939, bricks, london house bricks, clay bricks

These bricks are a sample of “5000 house bricks from London” carried by the CHILDREN as ballast, and intended for the Portland Bay settlement of her owners, Henty Bros. Flagstaff Hill divers recovered the bricks from Childers Cove in February 1974 and noted, “These bricks are the major feature of the wreck site. Subsequent notes indicate “The hull structure has broken up, leaving few visible remains, except for piles of house bricks intended for the Hentys of Portland”. According to Lloyds Shipping Register 1837-1839, the CHILDREN was built in 1825 at Liverpool and operated by owners Gordon & Co, of London, London registered number 123/1837; James Henty then bought her in 1837 as a three-masted barque of 254 tons, with a hull of “part pitch pine, felt sheathed” and “coppered 1837”. Launceston registered number 6/1837. In 1838, the CHILDREN, under her master Captain H. Browne, completed a successful round trip from Launceston to London carrying wool and whale oil loaded in Portland, returning in late November of that year carrying general cargo, including house bricks. On the 11th of January 1839, the CHILDREN sailed from Launceston for Adelaide, with 24 passengers, 14 crew, and an awkward mixed cargo, including 1500 sheep, 8 bullocks, 7 horses, farming implements, and six whaleboats with associated whaling gear. One account states that when the CHILDREN “put out from port, it was light and badly ballasted”. The vessel immediately encountered four days of hurricane-force storms, eventually clearing on the early morning of the 14th to “west force 10”, but too late to take accurate measurements of the sun or stars to establish their position relative to the coast. The CHILDREN collided with a limestone stack at the entrance of Childers Cove, and the seas smashed her into pieces within half an hour. All the cargo and 16 lives were lost (including 9 children). The Hentys contributed £150 towards a fund for the 22 survivors at a memorial service held in Launceston later that year. It was a major financial setback for the Hentys, but one from which they recovered. In a submission to the Governor of New South Wales dated 24 March 1840, the Hentys summarised their work over the previous six years of settlement: “Six stations have been occupied, one at Portland Bay…three at the open country about 60 miles inland called ‘Merino Downs’…They have erected two houses at Portland Bay and two others at Merino Downs”.These bricks are significant as a sample of 5000 house bricks carried from London as ballast by the Children and were intended for the Portland Bay settlement of her owners, James Henty & Co. The 1839 wreck and recovered artefacts are examples of the construction methods and materials used in that era and can be used to study the evolution of shipbuilding methods and principles. The wreck of the Children is of state significance as one of colonial Victoria’s earliest and most significant maritime disasters, and one of the first vessels lost in the Western District. This is recognised by its inclusion on the Victorian Heritage Register, VHR No. S116. Little is left on the seabed to mark the tragedy, apart from some of the house bricks intended for the Henty settlement. Five ‘house bricks from London’, some with white marine encrustation, recovered from the wreck of the ship CHILDREN. The bricks are oblong shaped and constructed of a blue-coloured and coarse-grained conglomerate. One brick is higher, shorter and narrower, than the other four bricks.flagstaff hill, flagstaff hill maritime museum and village, warrnambool, maritime museum, maritime village, great ocean road, shipwreck coast, shipwreck artefact, children, barque, three-masted, liverpool, childer’s cove, port campbell, 1839 shipwreck, 1939 wreck, james henty and co, henty brothers, captain h. browne, first mate t. gay, second mate w. wentworth, portland, portland bay, 1939, bricks, london house bricks, clay bricks

The anchor is from the wooden sailing ship CHILDREN, which was wrecked at Childers Cove east of Warrnambool on the 14th of January 1839 with the loss of 16 lives. The Children anchor was raised from the wreck site by Flagstaff Hill Divers: Peter Ronald, Garry Hayden (Terang, still), Tim Goodall (now Warrnambool), and Colin Goodall (now Warrnambool), on Sunday, 3rd January 1974. A week or so later, it was dragged up the cliffs and taken to Warrnambool. It is now on display near the entrance to the Maritime Museum and Village. It appears to be a Pering’s Improved Anchor, developed at Portsmouth after 1813. The addition of broad curvature to the anchor arms provided a stronger purchase than the pre-existing Admiralty Old Pattern Long Shanked Anchor with straight arms. However, the evidence of hammer-welding of the separate pieces of the arms and palms to the central shank, peaked crown and flat palms, suggests the manufacture is before the 1831 Rodger’s Anchor design, which cast both arms and their flukes as one piece that was then attached to the shank by a bolt through the crown. This identification seems consistent with the date of the CHILDREN’s construction in 1824. The CHILDREN was a three-masted barque with a wooden hull built at Liverpool in England. The vessel was bought by the Henty family of Portland (Australia Felix) in 1837 for regular coastal trading between Van Diemens Land (now Tasmania), the Port Phillip District of New South Wales and South Australia. Only 255 tons burden (92 feet in length, with a beam of 25 feet and depth of 17 feet), it sailed from Launceston bound for Adelaide in late December 1838, on its first Australian voyage and under the English master who had brought the barque out, Captain H. Browne. On board the CHILDREN were 24 passengers, including 9 children, the captain and 14 crew; livestock of 1500 sheep, 8 bullocks and 7 horses; general cargo of beef, pork, tobacco, tripe, butter, limejuice, horse hair, currants, lead shot, beer and spirits; 5,000 house bricks from London; and six whaling boats with associated whaling gear. The vessel was battered by gale-force north-westerly winds shortly after setting out from Launceston on 11 January 1839, and adverse sailing conditions persisted for the next four days. At 11 pm on the 14th of January 1839, and many miles north and east of the captain’s navigated position, the CHILDREN struck the Pinnacle, a limestone stack off what is now called Childers Cove. Within half an hour, the ship was destroyed. As well as the loss of livestock and cargo, 16 passengers and crew perished, including the captain, six men, one woman and nine children. In 1931, shifting sands at Childers Cove uncovered the skeleton of an adult male. In 1951, another two skeletons were exposed by storms, an adult male and a child. In 1963, some district scuba divers retrieved a small signal cannon from the site. And in 1974, Flagstaff Hill recovered the anchor and some house bricks. The anchor recovered from the Children's wreck is significant as part of the equipment of the early 19th-century barque. The 1839 wreck and recovered artefacts are examples of the construction methods and materials used in that era and can be used to study the evolution of shipbuilding methods and principles. The wreck of the Children is of state significance as one of colonial Victoria’s earliest and most significant maritime disasters, and one of the first vessels lost in the Western District. This is recognised by its inclusion on the Victorian Heritage Register, VHR No. S116. Little is left on the seabed to mark the tragedy, apart from some of the house bricks intended for the Henty settlement. A large forged, wrought iron anchor from the wreck of the CHILDREN. Flat hammer-welded flukes on opposing curved arms and a peaked crown. It has a metal, elbowed stock or cross-bar and a heavy-duty pinned, flat-ring shackle for the anchor chain. It is in fair condition but extensively corroded after 135 years on the seabed. flagstaff hill, flagstaff hill maritime museum and village, warrnambool, maritime museum, maritime village, great ocean road, shipwreck coast, shipwreck artefact, children, barque, three-masted, liverpool, childer’s cove, port campbell, 1839 shipwreck, 1939 wreck, james henty and co, henty brothers, captain h. browne, first mate t. gay, second mate w. wentworth, portland, portland bay, anchor, ship’s anchor, peter ronald, garry hayden, tim goodall, colin goodall, pering’s improved anchor

The urinal was probably situated in the forward part of the ship rather than the stern, being one of two placed on either side of the deck and housed immediately adjacent to the doors into the forward castle, or crew sleeping quarters. The toilets on maritime vessels were (and still are) called the ‘heads’, after the sanitation arrangements common until the end of the eighteenth century. The name was given to the ‘head’ of the ship, forward of the forecastle and around the beak or bowsprit. These first lavatories were floored with grating or nets so the force of the sea could wash them clean, and they were always used on the lee or non-weather side so the effluent fell directly into the water rather than back on board. The Children's wrecking: The barque Children was one of the first vessels to be lost in the Western District. The vessel was wrecked to the east of Warrnambool on 14th January 1838. When it ran ashore in hurricane-force winds, 22 passengers and crew were fortunate to escape being battered to death on the rocks. The Children broke up within 20 minutes, sweeping sixteen of those on board to their deaths. After eleven days, the rescued survivors, all of whom were injured, had been taken to Portland. According to Lloyd's Shipping Register 1837-1839, the Children was built in 1825 at Liverpool and operated by owners Gordon & Co, of London. Registration number 123/1837, James Henty then bought her in 1837 as a three-masted barque of 254 tons, with a hull of “part pitch pine, felt sheathed” and “coppered in 1837” at Launceston, registered number 6/1837. In 1838, the Children, under her master Captain H. Browne, completed a successful round trip from Launceston to London (carrying wool and whale oil loaded in Portland), returning in late November of that year carrying a general cargo including house bricks used for ballast. On the 11th of January 1839, the Children sailed from Launceston for Adelaide, with 24 passengers, 14 crew, and an awkward mixed cargo, including 1500 sheep, 8 bullocks, 7 horses, farming implements, and six whaleboats with associated whaling gear. One account states that when the Children was “put out from port, she was light and badly ballasted”. The vessel immediately encountered four days of hurricane-force storms, eventually clearing on the early morning of the 14th. However, it was too late to take accurate measurements of the sun or stars to establish their position relative to the coast. The Children collided with a limestone stack at the entrance of what is now Childers Cove, and the seas smashed the vessel into pieces within half an hour. All the cargo and 16 lives were lost, including 9 children. The Henty brothers contributed £150 towards a fund for the 22 survivors at a memorial service held in Launceston later that year. It was a major financial setback for James Henty and his brothers, but one from which they recovered. In a submission to the Governor of New South Wales dated 24 March 1840, the Henrys summarised their work over the previous six years of establishing the Portland settlement, stating “Six stations have been occupied, one at Portland Bay three at the open country about 60 miles inland called ‘Merino Downs’ They have erected two houses at Portland Bay and two others at Merino Downs”.The urinal recovered from the Children's wreck is significant as part of the original fittings of the early 19th-century barque. The 1839 wreck and recovered artefacts are examples of the construction methods and materials used in that era and can be used to study the evolution of shipbuilding methods and principles. The wreck of the Children is of state significance as one of colonial Victoria’s earliest and most significant maritime disasters, and one of the first vessels lost in the Western District. This is recognised by its inclusion on the Victorian Heritage Register, VHR No. S116. Little is left on the seabed to mark the tragedy, apart from some of the house bricks intended for the Henty settlement. A lead urinal with a rounded back at the top splash plate with an attached semi-circular receptacle or basin (20cm deep and projecting forward 30cm). At the sides are flanges with bolt holes connecting to a ship's wall. The urinal is drained by a funnel-shaped outlet also made of lead, reducing from a 10cm radius to a joined 5 cm pipe. The urinal was recovered from the wreck of the CHILDREN.flagstaff hill, warrnambool, flagstaff-hill, flagstaff-hill-maritime-museum, shipwreck-coast, shipwreck artefact, the children, lead ship’s plumbing, crew urinal, the ‘heads’, ship plumbing, james henty, portland bay, urinal, ship's urinal, ship’s fitting, ship’s lead plumbing, ship’s toilet, ship’s urinal, children, childer’s cove, port campbell, 1839 shipwreck, james henty and co, henty brothers, captain h. browne, portland

In an article dated 26 March 1963, the Warrnambool Standard reported: “A cannon which has lain on the ocean floor since the barque, Children, was wrecked at Childer’s Cove on January 15, 1839, was raised by three Warrnambool skindivers at the weekend … The cannon, weighing about 750 lb. and 4-ft. 6-in. in length … is in excellent order considering the length of time it has remained underwater”. No conservation measures were taken at that time, other than chipping off the marine growth with hammers and cold chisels. The minutes for the 4 February 1974 meeting of the Flagstaff Hill Planning Board recorded that “a cannon recovered some time ago was lying in the garden of [one of the three original divers] and that it could be picked up at any time”. Peter Ronald, past Manager and Diver for Flagstaff Hill, notes that the CHILDREN cannon would have been recovered by the other divers around 1964. When the cannon came into care of Flagstaff Hill, it was given basic conservation relevant to the time. (At the same meeting, the Board was advised of the recovery of an anchor from the wreck of the CHILDREN by Flagstaff Hill divers (Peter Ronald, Colin Goodall and Gary Hayden, and Hank Howey and Andrew Coffee), and its interim relocation in the sea at the end of the Warrnambool Breakwater while awaiting conservation). About the ship CHILDREN 1825-1839: The sailing ship Children was a wooden, three-masted barque constructed of pitch pine in 1825 at Liverpool. It was felt sheathed and was coppered during an upgrade in 1837. The ship was only 29 metres long and 254 tons in weight; it had two decks and a square stern. The James Henty & Co., a pioneering family from Portland, Victoria, purchased the Children in 1837 for use as a coastal trader. The Children, under the command of Captain H. Browne, was on a voyage from Launceston to Adelaide when it foundered in rough conditions at Childers Cove, west of Peterborough, on 14 January 1839. On board were 14 crew members and 24 passengers, including 9 children. The ship’s cargo was awkwardly balanced: it carried 1500 sheep, 8 bullocks, 7 horses, 5000 London house bricks, 6 whaling boats with associated gear, and general trade goods including beef, pork, tobacco, tipe, butter, lime juice, horse hair, curtains, lead shot, beer and spirits. The hurricane-force winds drove the Children into the limestone stack at the entrance to the cove. The seas smashed it into pieces within twenty minutes. The bodies of sixteen of those who had lost their lives were spread across the shore, along with wreckage from the ship and the cargo of animals. Those who survived suffered injuries; they were rescued and taken by horse and cart to Campbell’s farm, near the whaling station at Port Fairy. They arrived at Portland eleven days after the wreck. The wrecking of the Children is one of colonial Victoria’s earliest and most significant maritime disasters. Little is left to mark the tragedy, apart from some house bricks intended for the Henty family’s Portland Bay settlement. Artefacts recovered in the 1960s to early 1970s include this signal cannon, an anchor, the bottom half of her ship’s bell, and two portions of a ship’s fitting, at one time thought to be a brass porthole frame, London housing bricks and timber flooring. Despite its poor condition, the CHILDREN’s signal cannon remains an important and interpretable record of its demise. From 2015, the CHILDREN cannon has been undergoing the first stages of further conservation.The signal cannon recovered from the Children's wreck is significant as part of the original fittings of the early 19th-century barque. It is an example of maritime defence in the early to mid-19th century. The 1839 wreck and recovered artefacts are examples of the construction methods and materials used in that era and can be used to study the evolution of shipbuilding methods and principles. The wreck of the Children is of state significance as one of colonial Victoria’s earliest and most significant maritime disasters, and one of the first vessels lost in the Western District. This is recognised by its inclusion on the Victorian Heritage Register, VHR No. S116. Little is left on the seabed to mark the tragedy, apart from some of the house bricks intended for the Henty settlement. Signal cannon: a 1.3 metre iron 6pdr cannon recovered from the wreck of the CHILDREN. The shape of the cannon tapers from a thick round breech to a flared muzzle, with an 8-centimetre bore, and two side trunnions for pivoting on a wooden gun carriage. It was recovered from the shipwreck site of the CHILDREN by local divers in 1963. This small muzzle-loading signal cannon is in poor and unrestored condition. The cannon’s upper profile of smooth grey metal casing has corroded off, leaving an extensively oxidised rough red surface of crumbling iron. The bottom half of the cannon remains intact, although the outer smooth casing also appears to be separating from the iron core of the barrel. The original grey casting is also missing from the breech and muzzle ends of the cannon. Corrosion and spalling of the upper surface layer of the cannon have removed the maker’s marks and specificationsflagstaff hill, flagstaff hill maritime museum and village, warrnambool, maritime museum, maritime village, great ocean road, shipwreck coast, shipwreck artefact, children, barque, three-masted, liverpool, childer’s cove, port campbell, 1839 shipwreck, 1939 wreck, james henty and co, henty brothers, captain h. browne, first mate t. gay, second mate w. wentworth, portland, portland bay, 1939, ship’s cannon, signal cannon, conservation of marine artefacts, 6pdr small bore cannon, defence

This attractively patinated artefact was raised from the wreck site of the CHILDREN and was quite reasonably catalogued as a portion of a ship's porthole. This identification is unlikely, however, because the CHILDREN was built at Liverpool in 1824, and round portholes were not in common use until the 1850s. The catalogue identification has since been changed to "Ship's Fitting" Before the appearance of round portholes in the middle of the nineteenth century, the function of introducing light to lower decks was performed by square half-glassed ‘ports’ in the side of the hull (known as a port-sash), or ground-glass ‘bullseyes’ inserted in the deck (scuttles). In historical terms, ports were always square, cut into the timber originally to allow the firing of a ship's guns, and were closed in weather by a tight-fitting square hatch. Flagstaff Hill Shipwreck Museum has three portholes on display that illustrate the gradual development and adoption of circular brass portholes. First in sequence is a small 12.5cm diameter window (with a deep frame for thick wooden hulls) from the 1855 wreck of SCHOMBERG. The second and third are larger 25cm diameter windows (with a shallower frame for thinner iron hulls) from the 1892 wreck of the NEWFIELD and the 1908 wreck of the FALLS OF HALLADALE. Once the apparently obvious use of the brass object is discounted, an accurate and reliable alternative classification is difficult to specify. One artefact register notes it was ‘found in about the centre of the wreck site’. This would mitigate against the possibilities of (1) ‘horseshoe frame’ joining pieces of the keel and hull at the bow of the vessel, or (2) ‘deckseat’ for a binnacle at the stern. It may support the idea of a ‘head frame’ on a cooped companionway or a ‘deckseat’ for a mainmast pump. But this is only speculation. The actual identification is not known. The sip's fitting recovered from the Children's wreck is significant as part of the original fittings of the early 19th-century barque. The 1839 wreck and recovered artefacts are examples of the construction methods and materials used in that era and can be used to study the evolution of shipbuilding methods and principles. The wreck of the Children is of state significance as one of colonial Victoria’s earliest and most significant maritime disasters, and one of the first vessels lost in the Western District. This is recognised by its inclusion on the Victorian Heritage Register, VHR No. S116. Little is left on the seabed to mark the tragedy, apart from some of the house bricks intended for the Henty settlement. Ship's fitting, of heavy gauge brass circle, previously classified as a section of the ship's fitting, which was raised from the wreck of the Children. One end is broken off at an original bolt hole, and the other is severed or cut at an acute angle from the inner rim. The artefact is 6cm across and 1cm deep, indicating strength and function as a substantial and finished item of moulded metal. The upper face bears sedimentary accretion stained red/brown. The rear face has been gouged by hard or corrosive materials and bears brilliant blue/green oxidation.flagstaff hill, flagstaff hill maritime museum and village, warrnambool, maritime museum, maritime village, great ocean road, shipwreck coast, shipwreck artefact, children, childer’s cove, port campbell, 1839 shipwreck, james henty and co, henty brothers, captain h. browne, portland, portland bay, brass flange, brass rim, ship’s fitting

According to Lloyd's Shipping Register 1837-1839, the CHILDREN was built in 1825 at Liverpool and operated by owners Gordon & Co, of London. London registered number 123/1837. James Henty then bought her in 1837 as a three-masted barque of 254 tons, with a hull of “part pitch pine, felt sheathed” and “coppered 1837”. Launceston registered number 6/1837. In 1838 the CHILDREN, under her master Captain H. Browne, completed a successful round trip from Launceston to London (carrying wool and whale oil loaded in Portland), returning in late November of that year (carrying a general cargo including the house bricks). On the 11th January 1839, the CHILDREN sailed from Launceston for Adelaide, with 24 passengers, 14 crew, and an awkward mixed cargo, including 1500 sheep, 8 bullocks, 7 horses, and farming implements, and six whaleboats with associated whaling gear. One account states that when the CHILDREN “put out from port she was light and badly ballasted”. The vessel immediately encountered four days of hurricane force storms, eventually clearing on the early morning of the 14th to “west force 10”, but too late to take accurate measurements of the sun or stars to establish their position relative to the coast. The CHILDREN collided with a limestone stack at the entrance of Childers Cove, and the seas smashed her into pieces within half an hour. All the cargo and 16 lives were lost (including 8 children). The Henty’s contributed £150 towards a fund for the 22 survivors at a memorial service held in Launceston later that year. It was a major financial setback for the Henty’s, but one from which they recovered. In a submission to the Governor of New South Wales dated 24 March 1840, the Henty’s summarised their work over the previous six years of settlement: “Six stations have been occupied, one at Portland Bay…three at the open country about 60 miles inland called ‘Merino Downs’…They have erected two houses at Portland Bay and two others at Merino Downs”. The shipwreck of the CHILDREN is of State significance ― Victorian Heritage Register S116Part of terracotta bowl from the wreck of the Children, 2 segments have been glued together.flagstaff hill, warrnambool, shipwrecked-coast, flagstaff-hill, flagstaff-hill-maritime-museum, maritime-museum, shipwreck-coast, flagstaff-hill-maritime-village, children

Nails such as this solid copper nail were forged by blacksmiths. A nail of this length could have been used for the ship's decking. It was recovered from the shipwreck of the barque Children. The Children wrecking: The barque Children was one of the first vessels to be lost in the Western District the vessel was wrecked to the east of Warrnambool on 14th January 1838. When it ran ashore in hurricane-force winds, 22 passengers and crew were fortunate to escape being battered to death on the rocks. The Children broke up within 20 minutes, sweeping sixteen of those on board to their deaths. After eleven days, the survivors, all of whom were injured, were rescued and taken to Portland. According to Lloyd's Shipping Register 1837-1839, the Children was built in 1825 at Liverpool and operated by owners Gordon & Co, of London. Registration number 123/1837, James Henty then bought her in 1837 as a three-masted barque of 254 tons, with a hull of “part pitch pine, felt sheathed” and “coppered in 1837” at Launceston registered number 6/1837. In 1838 the Children, under her master Captain H. Browne, completed a successful round trip from Launceston to London (carrying wool and whale oil loaded in Portland), returning in late November of that year carrying a general cargo including house bricks used for ballast. On the 11th of January 1839, the Children sailed from Launceston for Adelaide, with 24 passengers, 14 crew, and an awkward mixed cargo, including 1500 sheep, 8 bullocks, 7 horses, and farming implements, and six whaleboats with associated whaling gear. One account states that when the Children were “put out from port she was light and badly ballasted”. The vessel immediately encountered four days of hurricane-force storms, eventually clearing on the early morning of the 14th. However, it was too late to take accurate measurements of the sun or stars to establish their position relative to the coast. The Children collided with a limestone stack at the entrance of Childers Cove, and the seas smashed her into pieces within half an hour. All the cargo and 16 lives were lost including 8 children. The Henty brothers contributed £150 towards a fund for the 22 survivors at a memorial service held in Launceston later that year. It was a major financial setback for James Henty and his brothers, but one from which they recovered. In a submission to the Governor of New South Wales dated 24 March 1840, the Henty’s summarised their work over the previous six years of establishing the Portland settlement stating. “Six stations have been occupied, one at Portland Bay three at the open country about 60 miles inland called ‘Merino Downs’ They have erected two houses at Portland Bay and two others at Merino Downs”.This nail is significant as part of the vessels original fixtures. The Children was delivering cargo intended for the Portland Bay settlement of her owners the James Henty brothers The wreck is also significant as one of the first vessels to have been lost in the Western District of Warrnambool. As a result the shipwreck of the Children is registered with the Victorian Heritage Register S116. Ship's nail, copper, with a washer attached. The nail has a round head, solid round shank and a flat end. It is bent, twisted and has indentations in the centre section. The nail was recovered from the wreck of the CHILDREN.warrnambool, flagstaff-hill-maritime-museum, shipwreck-coast, shipwreck artefact, the children, nail, copper nail, ship's nail, children shipwreck