Thank you
@MWS. Following any Elizas born in Spalding c.1833 (1861 - 28 = 1833) was on my To Do list, so you may have saved me some time there! Eliza Love marrying (again?) in 1863 and settling in Wiltshire only 12 miles away in South Marston makes her strong candidate for being David's companion in Ramsbury in 1861, but as yet there's no evidence of them being married in the formal sense.
It's possible that David was on tour in 1861, and only lodging temporarily in Wiltshire, whilst his 8 year old daughter Phoebe was left with Aunt and Grandma at 356 Nechells Park Road. Interestingly David has younger brother Joseph (age 20, a Baker) with him, possibly as an assistant. However, David is listed as a 'Boarder' which is crossed out and replaced with 'Head' (of household) so I'm not sure if that implies a more permanent residence. In 1881 he was touring in South Wales and was listed as boarding at an inn in Merthyr Tydfil - he spent a lot of time on the road.
I suppose the simplest explanation for 1861 is David had a short-lived marriage to a lady called Eliza, for which records are elusive. Other options include a transcription or recording error by the enumerator (who has spelt 'Spalding' incorrectly), possibly with Eliza being the wife of Joseph, albeit 7 years his senior, transcribed in the wrong order onto the form. It's also possible that Eliza is the wife of a different resident at the property (Castle Inn, 17, 17a and 17b, The Square, Ramsbury) and she's in the wrong row of the form.
A theory put forward by another family history researcher is that 'Eliza' is actually David's
next wife Elizabeth (Clear Knight) who was born in Sussex, and there's been some falsification of the Census return to hide the fact they were living 'in sin', especially as there was an 11 year age difference between them. Personally I will always favour the simplest explanation over the conspiracy theory every time!