Cliffe, Richmondshire
village and civil parish in the Tees Valley near Piercebridge in the Richmondshire district of North Yorkshire, England
Cliffe is a small village and civil parish in the county of North Yorkshire, England. A stream called the Glen runs through the village to the Tees. It is in the Teesdale and Yorkshire Dales national park. It is about 6 miles (10 km) west of Darlington, 10 miles (16 km) north of Richmond and near Piercebridge.
The village 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. and the area is largely agricultural. It 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.
In 2015 North Yorkshire County Council estimated the population of the village to be 30. The civil parish's 2011 Census population count was fewer than 100, therefore information taken by ONS was included in the Manfield parish (together with Aldbrough St John and Melsonby parishes) these form the Melsonby ward, which was recorded as 1,406.
From 1974 to 2023 it was part of the district of Richmondshire, it is now administered by the unitary North Yorkshire Council.
The public source identifies “Cliffe, Richmondshire” as village and civil parish in the Tees Valley near Piercebridge in the Richmondshire district of North Yorkshire, England. This brief keeps that definition visible, then builds a research path around Cliffe, Richmondshire and village.
Why this record matters
A short description can identify a subject without explaining its stakes. For “Cliffe, Richmondshire”, the useful work is to connect “village and civil parish in the Tees Valley near Piercebridge in the Richmondshire district of North Yorkshire, England” to the records capable of establishing context and consequence.
Maps, plans, fabric surveys and administrative records can establish how the site’s name, extent and function changed over time. The source revision retrieved here is dated Jul 24, 2026. The linked authority identifier is Q1955909. Authority coordinates are 54.534, -1.673. 1 of 1 selected statements include explicit references; 0 carry qualifiers and 0 use preferred rank. The first chronological checks are 1875, 2015, 2011 and 1974.
Modern boundaries and familiar names can conceal earlier jurisdictions or structures that do not align with the present site. The source lead contains qualifying language; that uncertainty should survive quotation, summary and reuse. Authority statements aid reconciliation but still require their own references, qualifiers and ranks to be checked.
How to read it
Treat names, boundaries and functions as historically changeable. Maps, plans, inventories and administrative records can clarify what the place meant at different dates.
- Historic place names
- Jurisdictional context
- Routes into maps and plans
Contemporary maps, plans, listed-building records, estate papers and the responsible local or national archive.
Three-step research path
- Establish the record: confirm the title “Cliffe, Richmondshire”, its source revision and the description used here.
- Expand the search: follow Cliffe, Richmondshire primary sources, Cliffe, Richmondshire archive and Cliffe research across catalogues and specialist indexes.
- Test the account: compare the strongest cited source with the responsible institution’s current record and note any disagreement.
Questions for further research
- Which source most directly establishes the central claim about “Cliffe, Richmondshire”?
- What physical evidence or contemporary plan supports the description?
- Which earlier names or jurisdictions may reveal additional records?
Search terms from this dossier
This entry incorporates text from “Cliffe, Richmondshire” on English Wikipedia. Contributors are listed in the page history. Text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 License. Selected authority identifiers and statements are retrieved from Wikidata under CC0; their references and qualifiers remain part of the verification path.