The Newspaper Archive, London Mid Surrey Times and General Advertiser, 1 April 1893, has a "Mr. R. McCheane, 90, Palace Gardens-terrace". That is close enough to the original location of the water trough that we think we've probably identified the donor of the trough.
Using this information, our colleague Andrew Behan researched the man.
Robert McCheane was born about 1820 in Clonmel, County Tipperary, Ireland, the son of Dennis McCheane (1785-1834) and Ellen McCheane née Backus (1787-1871). In the 1841 census he is shown as a clerk living in Lawrence Lane, St Lawrence Jewry, in the City of London and on 19 June 1847 he married Sophia Elizabeth Saxon (1814-1881) at St Pancras Church. The marriage register shows him as a merchant residing in the parish of St Pancras whilst his wife lived in the parish of Streatham, Surrey. They had four children: Robert McCheane (1848-1933), Mary Ellen McCheane (1850-1934), Henry Dalgety McCheane (1852-1929) and Lucy Fanny Janet McCheane (1854-1924).
The 1851 census shows him as a merchant's clerk living at 3 Elm Place, South Kensington, with his wife, his son Robert, his daughter Mary, two male cousins and a female house servant. In the 1861 census his occupation was given as a commercial clerk Australian trade and he was residing at 8 Lonsdale Villas, Bayswater, with his wife, their four children, his sister Mary Beauchamp, his niece Ellen Beauchamp and a female house servant. (Lonsdale Villas was subsequently renamed and is now Westbourne Grove).
At the time of the 1871 census he was shown as a commercial clerk occupying 90 Palace Gardens Terrace, Kensington, with his wife, their daughter Mary and son Henry, their niece Catherine E. Saxon, together with two female domestic servants. The 1881 census informs that he was still a commercial clerk living at 90 Palace Gardens Terrace with his wife, their widowered commercial clerk son Robert, their other son Henry who was a curate in South Kensington, their niece Ellen Tomlinson, together with a cook, a housemaid and a female general domestic servant.
When the 1891 census was undertaken his wife had died and he was shown as a retired clerk and widower living with his daughter Lucy at 90 Palace Gardens Terrace together with a cook and a housemaid.
He died, aged 79 years, on 26 July 1899 at 90 Palace Gardens Terrace, Kensington, and was buried on 31 July 1899 in the same grave as his wife, Plot E, Grave 36, at the West of London and Westminster Cemetery, now known as Brompton Cemetery, Fulham Road, London, SW10 9UG. When probate was granted on 18 August 1899 to his two sons, who were by now both reverend clerks in holy orders, and to his daughter Lucy, his effects totalled £29,364-16s-2d, but this was subsequently resworn in December 1899 when the sum was reduced to £29,156-15s-2d.
