Cliffe has a long history, as shown by the number and range of archaeological sites from tumuli to an English Civil War battleground, most of which are scheduled monuments. A stream called the Glen runs through the village to the Tees. Together with Manfield, Aldbrough St John and Melsonby it forms the ward of Melsonby whose total population recorded at the 2011 census was 1,406, and the area is largely agricultural. The village is notable for its 17th-century Grade II listed George Hotel, where the story behind the song, "My Grandfather's Clock", is said to have originated in 1875.