The Value of Probate

There are no death duty registers for deaths after 1903 and the National Archives website says that the individual files created since then have been destroyed after thirty years.

I do not think that there has been much change in the system of valuation. Essentially assets are valued at roughly the figure for which they could be sold, with small differences in a few special cases. Tax and administration expenses are not deducted to reach the net figure, though funeral expenses are, so heavy debt is likely to have been involved in this case.

I should not rule out the possibility that one or more debts were secured by a mortgage. Owner-occupation was less common in 1916 than now, and an owner-occupier may have owned other houses. Examination of pre-war registers of electors could produce some clues about landholdings, but not much detail.