A student from December 1800 until 1812[clarification needed] and a brilliant scholar of Greek,[2] on 5 July 1810 he was created a Doctor of Civil Law (D.C.L.)

[3] Lyttelton unsuccessfully contested Worcestershire in March 1806, but was returned in the following year, and represented the county until 1820 for the Whig party.

He supported the naval expedition to Copenhagen in opposition to the bulk of his party, but voted with them on the motion of Samuel Whitbread for the production of papers relative to it.

In supporting John Christian Curwen's bill for the prevention of the sale of seats, he suggested that the Duke of York and Albany, the late Commander-in-Chief of the Forces, had to some extent corrupted members of parliament; and in speaking on the budget resolutions of 1808 he declared his belief that the influence of the prerogative had increased.

[3] Lyttelton advocated abolishing the system of having climbing boys sweep chimneys, and was a strong opponent of the property tax.

He also printed a Catalogue of Pictures at Hagley (date of publication unknown), and published Private Devotions for School Boys.