Hi Ruskie - thanks for your continued support. After I ordered the last 3 certificates, I decided that I was going to draw the line there - I'm comfortable with the expense in this instance as I'm fairly certain that these people will prove to be my family. Because I'm searching for information on my grandmother, I forget that for other people, this information may not be relevant and stories may not have survived (if ever known). In lots of ways, now that I know (somewhat) what the 'family' situation was in England, while my grandmother's early life was terrible, her life here in Canada was far, far better then what she would have lived, had she stayed in England. She was studying to be a nurse when she was in her late teens ... quite remarkable considering the era, and her early life experience.
Once I have the new certificates (GRO have given themselves until July 3 to send them out) it will be easier to search for John and Alice, as hopefully full birth dates will be recorded. Poor Harriet ...