He was eldest son of Henry Littledale of Eton House, Lancashire, who was of a Cumberland family.
He entered St John's College, Cambridge, in 1783 and was senior wrangler and 1st Smith's prizeman in 1787.
[2] Littledale joined the northern circuit, and attended the Chester sessions.
On 30 April 1824 he was appointed, in succession to Mr. Justice Best, to a judgeship of the King's Bench Division, though beyond being appointed John Hullock's colleague in managing the government prosecutions in Scotland in 1822 he had had little official recognition to that point.
He was sworn a Privy Councillor, but died shortly after at his house in Bedford Square on 26 June 1842.