Sir Ralph Daniel Makinson Littler, CB, KC, JP, DL (2 October 1835 – 23 November 1908) was a British barrister and magistrate. He was the Chairman of the

Middlesex Quarter Sessions The Middlesex Quarter Sessions was the quarter session court for the county of Middlesex, England. Membership was made up of the justices of the peace. The quarter sessions heard criminal cases and also had a role in the civil administration of th ...

until his death in 1908.

Biography

The son of Rev. Robert Littler and Sarah Makinson, Ralph Littler was educated at

University College School ("Slowly but surely") , established = , closed = , type = Public schoolIndependent day school , religion = , president = , head_label = Headmaster , head = Mark Beard , r_head_label = , r_he ...

and

University College London , mottoeng = Let all come who by merit deserve the most reward , established = , type = Public research university , endowment = £143 million (2020) , budget = � ...

, where he was Common Law Prizeman. He was called to the Bar by the

Inner Temple The Honourable Society of the Inner Temple, commonly known as the Inner Temple, is one of the four Inns of Court and is a professional associations for barristers and judges. To be called to the Bar and practise as a barrister in England and W ...

in 1857, and joined the

Middle Temple The Honourable Society of the Middle Temple, commonly known simply as Middle Temple, is one of the four Inns of Court exclusively entitled to call their members to the English Bar as barristers, the others being the Inner Temple, Gray's Inn ...

in 1870, becoming a

Bencher A bencher or Master of the Bench is a senior member of an Inn of Court in England and Wales or the Inns of Court in Northern Ireland, or the Honorable Society of King's Inns in Ireland. Benchers hold office for life once elected. A bencher ca ...

in 1882 and Treasurer in 1901. Littler practised on the Northern, then the North-East circuits as a junior, He became a

Queen's Counsel In the United Kingdom and in some Commonwealth countries, a King's Counsel (post-nominal initials KC) during the reign of a king, or Queen's Counsel (post-nominal initials QC) during the reign of a queen, is a lawyer (usually a barrister or ...

in 1873, then mainly practised at the Parliamentary Bar. For many years, he was in the public eye as Chairman of the

. He was known for his severity, once sentencing a man to five years' penal servitude for the theft of a penny, though the circumstances were particularly egregious. He was appointed a

Companion of the Order of the Bath Companion may refer to: Relationships Currently * Any of several interpersonal relationships such as friend or acquaintance * A domestic partner, akin to a spouse * Sober companion, an addiction treatment coach * Companion (caregiving), a care ...

in 1890 and was knighted in 1902.

References

* "Obituary: Sir Ralph Littler", ''The Times'', 24 November 1908, p. 13. {{DEFAULTSORT:Littler, Ralph 1835 births 1908 deaths 19th-century British lawyers Knights Bachelor English King's Counsel 19th-century King's Counsel 20th-century King's Counsel Companions of the Order of the Bath Members of the Inner Temple Members of the Middle Temple 20th-century English judges Deputy Lieutenants of the City of London People educated at University College School Alumni of University College London English justices of the peace 19th-century English judges