Autographs of John Cleland
John Cleland (24 September 1709 – 23 January 1789) was an English novelist best known for his fictional Fanny Hill: or, the Memoirs of a Woman of Pleasure, whose eroticism led to his arrest. James Boswell called him "a sly, old malcontent".
Little is known about the early life of John Cleland. He was born in 1709 in Kingston upon Thames to parents William Cleland—a government official, former army officer, and friend of Alexander Pope—and Lucy DuPass. He was educated at Westminster School from 1721 to 1723. From 1728 he operated as a soldier in the service of the East India Company, living in Bombay until 1740, by which date he had attained a position as secretary to the Bombay Council as well as working as a junior merchant. In 1740 he travelled back to England in a destitute condition, and from thence he travelled from city to city without having any defined employment.
John Cleland began courting the Portuguese in a vain attempt to re-establish the Portuguese East India Company around the year 1741. In 1748, Cleland was arrested for an £840 debt (equivalent to a purchasing power of about £100,000 in 2005) and committed to Fleet Prison, where he remained for over a year. It was while he was in prison that Cleland finalised Memoirs of a Woman of Pleasure. The text probably existed in manuscript for a number of years before Cleland developed it for publication. The novel was published in two instalments, in November 1748 and February 1749. In March of that year, he was released from prison.
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Current items with a signature of John Cleland
These are the most current items with a signature of John Cleland that were listed on eBay and on other online stores - click here for more items.
| Picture | Item Title | Price | Store |
 | Steve Soper & John Cleland SIGNED BMW M3 / Vauxhall Cavalier BTCC Season 1991 | £19.91 |  |
 | Steve Soper & John Cleland SIGNED Famous BTCC Finale Clash Silverstone 1992 | £34.61 | |
Traded items with a signature of John Cleland
The most expensive item with a signature of John Cleland (BTCC 1995 John Cleland signed Ltd Ed framed print 546 of 600.Vauxhall Cavalier) was sold in February 2026 for £107.18 while the cheapest item (AUTOGRAPHS TOURING CARS JOHN CLELAND & WILL HOY HAND SIGNED 7x5 COL PHOTOS) found a new owner for £0.99 in October 2021. The month with the most items sold (6) was November 2014 with an average selling price of £10.00 for an autographed item of John Cleland. Sold items reached their highest average selling price in November 2025 with £78.68 and the month that saw the lowest prices with £1.20 was June 2014. In average, an autographed item from John Cleland is worth £10.00.
Most recently, these items with a signature of John Cleland were sold on eBay - click here for more items.
| Picture | Item Title | Price | Store |
 | 1997 BTCC Touring Car Model 1:43 Scale Signed By John Cleland | £55.64 |  |
 | BTCC 1995 John Cleland signed Ltd Ed framed print 546 of 600.Vauxhall Cavalier | £107.18 | |
| BTCC 1995 John Cleland/Peter Wilkinson Ltd Ed framed signed print 468/600 | £78.68 | |
| GENUINE VINTAGE HAND SIGNED JOHN CLELAND RACING CAR F1 FORMULA 1 CARD BTCC | £9.49 | |
| GENUINE VINTAGE HAND SIGNED JOHN CLELAND RACING CAR F1 FORMULA 1 CARD BTCC | £9.49 | |
| JOHN CLELAND AUTOGRAPH, MOTOR RACING, TOURING CARS | £8.00 | |
| John Cleland Hand Signed 12x8 Photo Touring Cars Autograph Vauxhall BTCC 2 | £24.99 | |
| John Cleland Hand Signed 6x4 Photo Touring Car Autograph 11 | £9.99 | |
| John Cleland Hand Signed Vauxhall Photo British Touring Car Championship 12x8 AA | £17.99 | |
| John Cleland Hand Signed White Card (90x60mm). | £19.57 | |
 | John Cleland Jeff Allam Vauxhall Sport Signed Postcards And Sticker | £50.70 | |
| John Cleland Touring Car Champion Signed Plaque *Display with a model car* | £39.00 | |
| Rare 1995 john Cleland commemorative winning signed picture | £55.22 | |
| Signed VAUXHALL SPORT NEWS JULY 1992 JOHN CLELAND, JEFF ALLAM VGC Touring Cars | £18.85 | |
 | VAUXHALL SPORT MANTA ASTRA CAVALIER DTV RALLY STICKERS + SIGNED JOHN CLELAND | £26.17 | |
