Amanda Owen's restoration of Anty John's farmhouse is uncovering a story which began long before the Yorkshire Shepherdess and her family became television stars.
But while much of the programme follows the challenges of restoring the derelict building, Amanda has also been investigating its history and the people who once called it home.
One name in particular has become central to that research: Anthony Clarkson, a map maker associated with Swaledale.
His connection with the farmhouse provides a link between the Owen family's present-day renovation and the lives of people who worked and lived in the remote valley generations earlier.
Who was Anthony Clarkson of Anty John's?
Anthony Clarkson is identified by Channel 4 as a Swaledale map maker and one of the farmhouse's most notable former residents.
His story has become part of Amanda's investigation into the building's past.
The farmhouse is known locally as Anty John's, a name which reflects the property's longstanding identity within the surrounding landscape.
While the Owen family is now bringing the building back into use, its history stretches back to a period when farming communities depended on local knowledge of land, boundaries and the surrounding countryside.
Map making was an important means of recording that landscape.
Maps could provide a record of fields, properties, roads and other features, preserving information about how land was owned, divided and used.
Anthony Clarkson's association with Swaledale therefore adds another dimension to the farmhouse's history.
Rather than being simply an old building in need of repair, Anty John's is connected with someone whose work involved documenting the surrounding countryside.
Amanda Owen investigates the farmhouse's past
When Channel 4 first announced Our Farm Next Door in September 2024, it explained that the programme would explore the history of the farmhouse alongside the renovation.
The series would follow Amanda as she investigated the building's former owners and their place in local history.
That historical research continued into the third series in January 2026, with Anthony Clarkson identified as a particularly significant figure.
The fourth series also features further discoveries.
Details released ahead of the October 19 episode reveal historian Derek returning to Anty John's to investigate something Amanda has found concerning the fields surrounding the property.
The development suggests that the family's research is extending beyond the farmhouse walls to the land around it.
That is particularly appropriate in a place such as Swaledale, where farming, buildings and the surrounding landscape have been closely connected for generations.
Why the history matters to Amanda Owen
Amanda has built much of her public career around documenting traditional rural life in the Yorkshire Dales.
Through Our Yorkshire Farm, viewers watched the family care for sheep, cattle and other animals while working in a landscape shaped by generations of farmers.
The restoration of Anty John's continues that interest in rural heritage.
Rather than demolishing the old farmhouse and replacing it with a modern building, the family has spent years working with local tradespeople to preserve and restore it.
The project has involved dealing with the difficulties of renovating an old property in a remote location while making it suitable for modern family life.
The work has included structural repairs, new services and the gradual transformation of the interior.
But the historical research offers something different from the practical challenges of construction.
It provides an opportunity to understand the people who lived at Anty John's before the Owens and how the building fitted into the wider history of Swaledale.
Bringing Anty John's back to life
The restoration has now entered its third year, with the farmhouse beginning to resemble a home once again.
Walls have been plastered and painted, floorboards are being laid and furniture is gradually being brought into the property.
Yet Amanda has revealed that the family still has not decided who will eventually live there.
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The changing ambitions of her nine children have complicated the decision, with some considering university, others developing businesses and several remaining interested in farming.
For now, the building's future remains uncertain.
But whatever happens next, the restoration has already brought renewed attention to a property whose story extends far beyond the Owen family's television programmes.
And as Amanda continues investigating Anthony Clarkson and the surrounding land, Anty John's is becoming a place where Swaledale's past and present meet.
Our Farm Next Door: Amanda, Clive and Kids continues on More4.