Couple get permission to convert 17th-century Yorkshire Dales farmhouse that hasn't been lived in since 1891 back into a home

A heritage report submitted as part of the application found that Thackthwaite is mentioned in probate records as far back as 1648, and the first owner of the house has been traced to 1668. By 1704, its owner, John Burton also owned nearby farmhouse Biggerside, which is now listed, where he lived. His daughter inherited both properties, but Thackthwaite appears to have been rented out to tenant farmers throughour the 18th and 19th centuries.

Two brothers who were both Leicestershire clergymen owned the farm from 1798, along with Barth, another farmhouse nearby, and their descendants, the Cragg family, lived at Barth until the 1970s. Thackthwaite’s ownership is unclear during this period, though farmers and labourers continued to occupy it. It was listed as empty in the 1851, 1881 and 1901 censuses. By 1911 it did not appear in the count, and it seems as if it was last occupied in 1891 before conversion into a barn.

Thackthwaite has appeared on tithe maps since 1840, but by 1894 the house had changed in shape and the barn had been extended. Barn doors were later created and an external staircase added to give access to the hayloft.

Dent Parish Council said: “The council is pleased to see that a young family, with local connections wants to move back into the parish and the council is very supportive of this.”

It was noted in the planning officers’ report that the internal layout of the building would not meet the fire safety regulations for holiday accommodation, but that there is ‘no evidence’ of any intention to let out the property.