Richard Frederick Littledale

Richard Frederick Littledale (1833–1890) was an Anglo-Irish clergyman and writer.

The fourth son of John Littledale, an auctioneer, he was born in Dublin on 14 September 1833. On 15 October 1850 he entered Trinity College, Dublin, as a foundation scholar, graduated B.A. as a first class in classics, and in 1855 obtained the senior Berkeley gold medal and the first divinity prize. He proceeded at Dublin M.A. in 1858, and LL.B. and LL.D. in 1862, and at Oxford on 5 July 1862 D.C.L. comitatis causa.

He was curate of St. Matthew in Thorpe Hamlet, Norfolk, from 1856 to 1857. From 1857 to 1861 he was curate of St Mary the Virgin, Crown Street, Soho, London, where he took an interest in the House of Charity.

Throughout the remainder of his life he suffered from chronic ill-health, took little part in any parochial duties, and devoted himself mainly to writing. Until his death he continued to act as a father confessor, and next to Edward Pusey is said to have heard more confessions than any other priest of the church of England. Through William Bell Scott he came to know and influence Christina Rossetti.

He died at 9 Red Lion Square, London, on 11 January 1890. A reredos to his memory was erected in the chapel at St. Katharine's, 32 Queen Square, London, in March 1891.

Littledale was a contributor to periodicals: ‘Kottabos’ (a college miscellany in Dublin), Notes and Queries, the Daily Telegraph, the Church Quarterly Review, and The Academy. He was the author of books and pamphlets in support of Anglicanism, in opposition to Roman Catholicism.

In conjunction with the Rev. James Edward Vaux, Littledale wrote: ‘The Priest's Prayer Book,’ 1864 (seven editions), ‘The People's Hymnal,’ 1867 (eight editions), ‘The Christian Passover,’ 1873 (four editions), and ‘The Altar Manual,’ of which forty-six thousand copies were circulated.The People's Hymnal contained the hymn Come Down, O Love Divine, for which the words were translated by Littledale from the Italian of Bianco da Siena. The original poem was included in the Laudi Spirituali del Bianco da Siena of Telesforo Bini, of 1851.

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