Hello, Deb,
I'm afraid I will not be much help to you, either, as where the right family of Penfolds could have been in the earlier censuses is anyones guess, with them being travellers! I have had no definite leads so far, other than that William and Bessie were both born in Cornwall.
The earliest definite link I have is William and Bessie in the 1901 census. My husband's great grandmother was SOPHIE, their daughter born in 1902. She ended up in Mevagissey, where we live now, married to a fisherman William BARRON. They had a son ROBERT THOMAS, who is my husband's grandfather. He had a daughter, JEAN, who is my husband's mother.
Sophie lived long enough to see our daughter, Amy, born, and we took photos of the five generations, all living in Mevagissey!
I feel for you, because I know how difficult it is to pin down travelling pedlars in the censuses, but maybe one of us will find something definite somewhere. If I find anything, I will let you know,
Best wishes
Frosty